SBIR-STTR Award

In this proposed STTR program, Kaney Aerospace plans to transition a unique magnetic gear technology developed at Texas A&M University (our STTR partner) into Kaney’s integrated smart servo technology for critical flight surface control applications, in partnership with a leading Agility Prime and UAM airframe manufacturer. Signed MOUs from an Agility Prime airframe manufacturer and autonomous vehicle manufacturer show commercial and military interest in our product(s). ORB/UAM platforms require several special considerations for flight critical surface actuation and control due to their unique operating environments and conditions. For example, lower altitude flights with unstable flight patterns in densely populated urban environments demand precise flight surface control, extreme reliability, longer range with limited energy storage capabilities, lower weight and higher efficiency compared to traditional air platforms. Kaney plans to incorporate a TAMU-developed magnetic gearbox into our existing integrated smart servo architecture to eliminate backlash, eliminate jamming, eliminate gear friction, and provide high gear ratios. Our Magnetic Actuators with Geared Toothless Output Reduction for Quantifiable Ultimate Effectiveness (MAGTORQUE) servos will be developed to add to Kaney’s existing, qualified smart servo actuator product line. The latter has extensive flight heritage in current commercial and military aircraft and close to 4,000 currently fielded units.

The Air Force has a national defense-related mission need to lower the procurement cost of high-speed unmanned air systems. Low-cost attritable high speed unmanned air systems (UAS) are critical for future Air Force missions by enabling persistent intelli