Michael Barr

About

I'm an embedded software expert with 30+ years of experience building firmware for safety-critical devices. I'm the CTO and co-owner of Barr Group, where we connect patent litigation lawyers with expert witnesses.

I led the Toyota unintended acceleration investigation, an 18-month code review that uncovered critical software defects in Toyota's engine control firmware. I've also served as Editor-in-Chief of Embedded Systems Design magazine, taught at the University of Maryland, and hold 3 US patents.

Full professional bio →

Highlights

Toyota Unintended Acceleration — Led a 7-engineer team through an 18-month review of Toyota's engine control source code. Testified at trial in Bookout v. Toyota (2013), contributing to a landmark verdict on automotive software safety.
3 US Patents — Hardware synthesis methodology, brake calibration systems, and embedded system design tools.
Editor-in-Chief, Embedded Systems Design (1999–2003) — Led the premier trade publication for embedded software engineers.
Adjunct Professor, University of Maryland (2000–2002) — Taught embedded systems at the A. James Clark School of Engineering.
70+ published articles on embedded systems design, firmware architecture, and coding standards.
METACOMPILER (2026) — Debut techno-thriller novel. A deaf-blind computer scientist discovers a backdoor hidden in every compiled device since the 1970s. Free to read at metacompiler.me.

About

Books

METACOMPILER
A Novel

Embedded C
Coding Standard

Programming Embedded
Systems in C and C++

Highlights

Connect

Michael Barr

About

Books

METACOMPILERA Novel

Embedded CCoding Standard

Programming EmbeddedSystems in C and C++

Highlights

Connect

METACOMPILER
A Novel

Embedded C
Coding Standard

Programming Embedded
Systems in C and C++