Crossbow Technology's Latest Solid-State Gyro Family Sets New Standard For Price-Performance.

Business Ediotor/High-tech Writers

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 20, 2000

Designed for Unmanned Vehicles, Avionics, Automotive Test,

and Heavy Equipment Applications

Crossbow Technology, Inc., the leading supplier of low-cost, intelligent digital sensing solutions, today introduced the DMU(TM)-HDX high-performance solid-state vertical gyro.

The DMU-HDX is the first of a family of inertial sub-systems with performance previously not available in Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS).

Measured Attitude Performance Approaches High-End Inertial

Systems

At a single unit price of $5,500, the DMU-HDX compares favorably with "attitude" performance of high-end ring laser, inertial navigation systems that are typically priced above $100,000. Actual flight tests confirmed a 2:1 improvement advantage over popular spinning mass vertical gyros. The DMU-HDX is the first member of Crossbow's second-generation solid-state inertial products family, with additional members to be introduced in the coming months.

Air, Land and Marine Applications

Ideal for air, land, and marine applications -- such as unmanned vehicle (UAV) control, avionics, precision farming, and platform stabilization -- the DMU-HDX is a strap-down inertial subsystem that has demonstrated attitude measurement accuracy of +/- 0.5 degrees static and better than +/- 2 degrees dynamic over a wide range of vehicle maneuvers.

Major Technology And Architecture Improvements

Compared to earlier solid-state vertical gyros, the DMU-HDX achieves new performance levels as a result of major improvements in all aspects of design. First, higher stability accelerometers and rate gyros coupled with sophisticated alignment and temperature calibration methods yields a 3:1 improvement in measurement performance. Second, incorporation of a dual DSP (digital signal processor) architecture provides extra horsepower for faster data update rates. Third, use of sophisticated Kalman filter-based algorithms virtually eliminates the drift errors associated with standard vertical erection systems.

"We characterized this unit for various flight environments by literally going on a plane and performing a standard set of aircraft maneuvers," said John Crawford, Crossbow's vice-president of customer solutions. "When we graphed the comparison to a very expensive inertial reference system, the results were unprecedented. This enables our customers to achieve the performance and accuracy they need in a low cost, reliable solid-state unit. We expect this unit to replace traditional vertical gyros in significant number of applications."

"Crossbow's DMUs give us our competitive advantage in the precision farming marketplace," said Kevin Greenwood, V.P. Operations, BEELINE. "The cost/performance available in Crossbow's units is amazing and this new generation technology makes it very attractive for us to add advanced stabilization capabilities to our equipment."

Priced at $5,500 in single unit quantities, with an attractive OEM discount schedule, the DMU-HDX is available now. The DMU-HDX package measures 3.0" x 3.75" x 3.25".

New Generation Products Built On Experience With First Generation

In 1996, Crossbow introduced its first inertial product, the DMU-6. Over the past four years, continuous development by Crossbow has resulted in the release of several innovative solid-state gyros, including the industry's first MEMS-based Vertical Gyro. Now, with its second-generation DMU product line, Crossbow sets a new standard in cost effective, high performance solid-state gyros.

Crossbow Technology, Inc. is the leading supplier of low-cost, intelligent digital sensor solutions. Crossbow's sensors integrate silicon micromachining (MEMS) technology with digital signal processing. The sensors incorporate the company's proprietary SoftSensor(TM) embedded firmware which includes algorithms for stabilization and navigation applications coupled with internal compensation and communication functions. Crossbow is located at 41 E. Daggett Drive, San Jose, CA 95134. Telephone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. Email: [e-mail]. Visit Crossbow at www.xbow.com.