Boston Engineering Receives U.S. Air Force Contract to Advance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Motor Control Capabilities

Boston Engineering received the Phase I award from the U.S. Air Force's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program.

WALTHAM, Mass., Aug. 28, 2015 -- Boston Engineering today announced a $150,000 contract from the U.S. Air Force to enhance its UAV capabilities and to also reduce drone noise. Specifically, Boston Engineering will demonstrate an embedded motor control platform to accelerate U.S. Air Force UAV research and development initiatives. Embedded motor controllers underpin critical UAV operations including drone propulsion and sensors for applications including surveillance. Boston Engineering received the Phase I award from the U.S. Air Force's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program.


"We have two decades of motion control experience for industrial and government clients, and we are uniquely positioned to drive innovation in UAVs and similar ground and underwater applications," said Mark Smithers, co-founder and chief technology officer at Boston Engineering.

Boston Engineering is bridging a market gap between commercial motor control products that don't meet the U.S. Air Force's rigorous UAV requirements and the technical expertise required for custom embedded control systems.

"We are providing the U.S. Air Force with a sophisticated motor control framework to accelerate next-generation UAV development without the need to have extensive embedded control systems experience," said Guy Fichera, director of the Industrial & Commercial practice at Boston Engineering.

Boston Engineering complements its motion control and product development consulting with its FlexMC Motor Control Development Platform™, the company's rapid-development system for any motor control solution. The FlexMC Kit enables users to accelerate time-to-market and to increase performance with powerful model-based design tools.

Global FlexMC Kit adoption includes Analog Devices, which has selected Boston Engineering as its exclusive motor control design partner in North America and Europe.

About Boston Engineering
Boston Engineering provides product design and engineering consulting across the entire product development process - from concept development through product launch. Certified for ISO 9001 and ISO 13485, our industry expertise includes consumer products, defense & security, medical devices, robotics, and industrial & commercial products. We are also the Northeast's largest PTC software reseller. Boston Engineering is headquartered in Waltham, Mass. and is online at www.boston-engineering.com.

Featured Product

Harmonic Drive - Simplify with our New, Innovative Family of Compact Rotary Actuators with Integrated Servo Drive!

Harmonic Drive - Simplify with our New, Innovative Family of Compact Rotary Actuators with Integrated Servo Drive!

The SHA-IDT Series is a family of compact actuators that deliver high torque with exceptional accuracy and repeatability. These hollow shaft servo actuators feature Harmonic Drive® precision strain wave gears combined with a brushless servomotor, a brake, two magnetic absolute encoders and an integrated servo drive with CANopen® communication. This revolutionary product eliminates the need for an external drive and greatly simplifies wiring yet delivers high-positional accuracy and torsional stiffness in a compact housing.