Boston Engineering has secured a contract from the US Air Force (USAF) to improve its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities and also to reduce drone noise.
As part of the development, the company will demonstrate an embedded motor control platform in order to accelerate the USAF’s UAV research and development initiatives.
Embedded motor controllers are significant elements in UAV operations including drone propulsion and sensors for applications including surveillance.
Boston Engineering co-founder and chief technology officer Mark Smithers said: "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."
The company offers its motion control and product development consulting with FlexMC motor control development platform, which is its rapid-development system for any motor control solution.
The FlexMC kit allows users to accelerate time-to-market and to increase performance with powerful model-based design tools.
Boston Engineering Industrial & Commercial practise director Guy Fichera said: "We are providing the US Air Force with a sophisticated motor control framework to accelerate next-generation UAV development without the need to have extensive embedded control systems experience."
The latest $150,000 contract was awarded as part of the USAF’s small business innovation research (SBIR) / small business technology transfer (STTR) programme.
