AMC on DARPA Grand Challenge Finisher!

The 2nd DARPA Grand Challenge was held on Octobor 8th 2005. Five out of the 40 unmanned autonomous vehicles completed the 132 mile course through the Mojave desert.

Carnegie Mellon's "Sandstorm" finished 2nd with AMC servo drives on the stabelization gimbal, steering, throttle and brake. We are very proud of their accomplishment!

We congratulate

1. Stanford's "Stanley" (6:53:58)
2. Carnegie Mellon's "Sandstorm" (7:04:50)
3. Carnegie Mellon's "H1ghlander" (7:14:00)
4. Gray Team's "KAT-5" (7:30:16)
5. Oshkosh Truck's "TerraMax" (+10 hours)

These vehicles were self guided with no human intervention. This means the vehicles were driven by intelligent computers and used servo control for such things as steering, braking, throttle, sensor stabilization and sensor positioning. The demands were rigorous but Advanced Motion Controls has been available for full support including technical support and material donations.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is responsible for the development of new technologies that give our armed forces a decisive edge. DARPA created the Grand Challenge to motivate and accelerate the development of unmanned vehicles that will be used to transport supplies through areas that are too dangerous for U.S. personnel. These technologies may eventually evolve into automated vehicles for civilian use that will make our roads safer to travel.

European headquarters established in Hungary

Our European headquarters is located in Hungary just outside of Budapest. The Hungary office was established in the late 1990's to act as an R&D center for theoretical product conceptualization. This office has steadily grown in both size and responsibility to where a new and larger office building was required in 2004.

Hungary is optimally located and provides a fertile environment for growth oriented companies in technology. U.S. investors recognize that Hungary is a natural gateway to the European Union and Central & Eastern Europe, a fast-growing combined market of 600 million consumers. Hungary's appeal includes its skilled and highly productive labor force, transparent investment code, attractive corporate tax rates, and other distinguishing advantages.

Productivity, for example, is substantially higher than in Poland, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. This capability positions Hungary as the sixth-best country in the world to develop high-tech industries, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development. Hungary also was the first country in the CEE to develop intellectual property right laws on par with those in the United States in 1993; as a result U.S. investors have enjoyed more confidence and security in their Hungarian investments.

Our Capabilities Video shows why AMC responds so quickly to our customers' needs

Meet the engineering and management teams and see how AMC can help your company succeed. Our motion control expertise can help solve your engineering problems while our manufacturing capabilities will deliver as promised on time. CD-ROM multiple video formats (7 minutes). Free CD-ROM

AMC is the drive of choice for many automated guided vehicles

Unmanned vehicles are used to go into environments that are difficult to reach or are dangerous to people. AMC is the drive of choice for many unmanned vehicles because of our proven reliability, high power density and our ability to produce drives that are adaptable to many applications.

In law enforcement we are in bomb detection and bomb disposal robots as well as vehicles used in hostage situations and stand-offs. In the military we are in reconnaissance vehicles and on weapons delivery platforms. In aerial vehicles our drives power the propulsion, rotate on-board radar and servo the control surfaces. In underwater vehicles we power the propulsion, point cameras and operate the control surfaces.