THINGAP RECEIVES $750,000 DARPA CONTRACT FOR DEVELOPING DRIVE MOTORS

High Power Density ThinGap Technology May Eliminate Traditional Chassis Mounted Drive Train

VENTURA, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 19, 2004 - ThinGap, LLC, the leader in high-power density brushless and brush DC motors, today has announced it received a $750,000 Phase II Small Business Innovation Research Contract from DARPA for developing an electric drive stator and armature that could be used in unmanned ground electric-drive vehicles. The electric motor assembly would be capable of mounting into the wheel hub of ground vehicles, eliminating the weight of motors and drive train mounted on the vehicle frame. This will simplify the drive train assembly, which in turn increases system reliability.

"This award of the DARPA contract for developing an electric drive motor with the potential for use in unmanned ground vehicles is another major validation that ThinGap's technology is gaining traction," says Greg Graham, chief technology officer, ThinGap Corporation. "ThinGap's electromotive coil technology will continue to provide customers with the means for improving their products and maintaining a competitive advantage."

Electric-drive unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) could be used by the U.S. military for a variety of missions, including hauling equipment, detecting land mines and land assault. The vehicles need an electric-drive motor with constant power output from 28 RPM to 280 RPM. The physical envelope is 14-inches outside diameter with a length of no more than 4-inches. The motor must provide for high torque at start up of 1,200 ft-lbs at 28 RPM for 500 seconds or 8.33 minutes. Heat dissipation with this high current and torque is a critical factor.

ThinGap motors were first successfully used in a medical compressor application. These devices are portable, battery-operated units. The integration of the ThinGap motor in these products provides a significant increase in battery life from 2.5 to 4.0 hours of use. The power to weight ratio of the ThinGap motor reduced the weight of the over all product. ThinGap motors are being used in many other applications, such as motion control for fast, responsive and high power to weight ratio improvements in cycle times.

The ThinGap electromotive coil technology uses multiple precision-machined copper sheets to replace the magnet wire and iron core of conventional motors. This innovative, patented design eliminates magnetic saturation, eddy currents, and hysteresis associated with the conventional iron core designs, improving controllability and power density. I2R losses are minimized by the ultra low resistance coil, which also contributes to high efficiency. The precision wall of the stator coil allows for a narrow air gap between the rotor and stator assembly enabling higher magnetic flux density for improved utilization of the magnetic circuit enhancing shaft power.

For more information, contact ThinGap Corporation, 2064 Eastman Avenue #107, Ventura, California 93003, Tel: (805) 477-9741, Fax: (805) 477-7535, http://www.ThinGap.com/.

About ThinGap

ThinGap Corporation designs, develops and manufactures a line of high power density brush and brushless DC motors utilizing a patented electromotive coil technology, which replaces the iron core and wire windings of conventional motors. These high efficiency motors are utilized for aerospace, military, medical instrumentation and devices, and industrial applications including robots, wafer handling, power tools, machine tools, air bearing spindles, factory automation, material handling, packaging equipment, unmanned vehicles, and fuel cells. ThinGap also manufactures motor part sets, generators, and controllers/drives. All manufacturing is done in ThinGap's Ventura, California facilities. For more information, please visit: http://www.ThinGap.com/.