Crossbow Technology

Last updated

Crossbow Technology, Inc.
Company type Private
Industry Electronics-specialized
Founded1995
DefunctJune 5, 2011 (2011-06-05)
FateAcquired by Moog Inc.
Headquarters Milpitas, California, U.S.
Key people
Mike Horton (Founder)
Products Inertial measurement units, logistics, and asset tracking devices
Number of employees
Approximately 50 (2011)

Crossbow Technology, Inc. (also referred to as XBOW) was a California-based company that specialized in navigation products, including gyroscopes and guidance, navigation, and control units.

Contents

History

Crossbow was founded by Mike A. Horton in 1995. It created products based on technology developed at the University of California, Berkeley, supported by A. Richard Newton [1] and had investment from Cisco, Intel, and the Paladin Capital Group in 2005. [2] [3] Crossbow was one of the first suppliers of the Berkeley-style MICA sensor nodes that it called "motes" [4] which ran the TinyOS operating system.

Crossbow received awards for these products, including a "Best of Sensors Expo Gold 2006" [5] and the BP Helios Award. [6]

Formerly a joint venture, Crossbow Japan became the Sensor Networks and Systems department of Sumitomo Precision Products. [7] On June 5, 2011, Crossbow was acquired by Moog Inc. for about $32 million. [8]

Products

The AHRS500GA, introduced in 2003, was a completely solid-state FAA-certified attitude and heading reference system (AHRS). [9] It was designed into the Eclipse Aviation mode 500 very light jet and was used in the Capstone Program of the US Federal Aviation Administration. [10]

In 2008, Crossbow released the eKo Pro Series System, [11] a wireless sensor system that monitors crops, vineyards, agriculture, and the environment. In the same year, Crossbow Japan released the NeoMote to monitor energy usage in a building and provide a visual display for energy saving. [12]

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References

  1. Olga Kharif (October 18, 2004). "Bringing MEMS and Motes to Life". Business Week. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  2. "Crossbow Technology : Inertial Systems : Company Overview – Crossbow, Investors". Archived from the original on July 11, 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
  3. "Crossbow". Investment portfolio page. Paladin Capital Group. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  4. Marshall Brain (February 28, 2004). "How Motes Work". How Stuff Works web site. Archived from the original on April 7, 2004. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  5. Report From Sensors Expo Part 1: Best of Sensors Expo Gold Winners – Sensors Archived February 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  6. BP Global – Press – Winners announced in 2005 helios awards
  7. "Global Leader in Sensory Systems". official Crossbow Japan website. 住友精密工業㈱ センサネットワーク事業室 営業グループ. (In Japanese)
  8. Moog Inc. (November 30, 2011). "Annual Report for the fiscal year ended October 1, 2011". Form 10-K. US Securities and Exchange Commission. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  9. "New Products: MEMS-Based AHRS". Avionics Magazine. April 1, 2003. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  10. "Eclipse Aviation – Partners". Archived from the original on May 9, 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
  11. Reuters
  12. "Wireless Sensor Network and NeoKIT: green technology for clean energy use". Commercial product page. Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved November 17, 2013.