Press Release

22 Dec 2009 - Team Stellar scoops IET Innovation Award

Team Stellar has won the Project Team Innovation Award at the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s (IET) Innovation Awards 2009.

Cranfield University and the team of industry engineering experts were awarded a trophy for their team work in developing flying unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) and an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) that identify, monitor and report military threats.

The IET Innovation Awards, held at Lords Cricket Ground, spanned 15 categories and attracted over 300 entries from around the world.  They represent an opportunity for innovators to be recognised and celebrate innovative application across engineering disciplines.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Team Stellar has already received acclaim for its technology. These accolades include; the R.J. Mitchell Trophy for winning the MOD ‘Grand Challenge’ competition in 2008 for producing the best autonomous defence robots and battling against ten other competitors to tackle threats including roadside bombs.

Dr Toby Breckon, Lecturer in Computer Vision & Image Processing at Cranfield’s School of Engineering, said: “Winning the team award is great recognition of a solid industrial and academic partnership working together to produce technology that could be helping to defend the lives of soldiers on the front line within two years.”

Nigel Fine, IET Chief Executive, said: “I would like to congratulate all the winning and shortlisted entries in this year’s IET Innovation Awards, which demonstrate genuine innovation and represent significant technological advances.”

Team Stellar is Cranfield University’s Autonomous Systems Group and Applied Mathematics & Computing Group, Blue Bear Systems Research Limited, SELEX Galileo, Stellar Research Services, Marshall SDG designs, TRW Conekt.

ENDS

Further information

Cranfield University is a wholly postgraduate institution with a worldwide reputation for excellence and expertise in aerospace, automotive, defence, engineering, environment and water, health, management and manufacturing.  The University is made up of the following Schools: Cranfield Health, School of Management, School of Applied Sciences, School of Engineering, and Cranfield Defence and Security at Shrivenham.  For more information visit www.cranfield.ac.uk 

Team Stellar consists of Blue Bear Systems Research Limited designing the UAV systems and their associated control and avionics systems, and SELEX Galileo involved with overall system integration and development of the ground control station. Stellar Research Services co-ordinates and leads the team, while Marshall SDG designs and builds UGV’s and TRW Conekt develops UGV route guidance, obstacle and radar threat sensors.

The IET is a world leading professional organisation, sharing and advancing knowledge to promote science, engineering and technology across the world.  It dates from 1871 and has 150,000 members in 127 countries with offices in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. For more information, visit www.theiet.org

For more information on the Innovation Awards visit www.theiet.org/innovation


For further information please contact: Naomie Stanford-Jones, Press Officer, Cranfield University, tel: +44 (0) 1234 754999

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Press release number: PR-15-09-SOE