Athena Technologies was a developer and manufacturer of control and navigation

Navigation

Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...

 solutions for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs). In April 2008, Athena was purchased by Rockwell Collins, Inc. for $107 million US dollars.

Athena Technologies was established in 1998. It was headquartered in Warrenton, Virginia

Warrenton, Virginia

Warrenton is a town in Fauquier County, Virginia, United States. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census, and 14,634 at the 2010 estimate. It is the county seat of Fauquier County. Public schools in the town include Fauquier High School, Warrenton Middle School, Taylor Middle School and two...

. The company was created to develop and commercialize flight control technologies. Athena founder Dr. David Vos studied control theory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he proved the control technology by developing the first autonomous unicycle.

Athena's GuideStar product line provides INS/GPS solutions that integrate IMU

Inertial measurement unit

An inertial measurement unit, or IMU, is an electronic device that measures and reports on a craft's velocity, orientation, and gravitational forces, using a combination of accelerometers and gyroscopes. IMUs are typically used to maneuver aircraft, including UAVs, among many others, and...

, GPS, magnetometer

Magnetometer

A magnetometer is a measuring instrument used to measure the strength or direction of a magnetic field either produced in the laboratory or existing in nature...

 and air data signals for dynamic maneuvering. Athena's products have been deployed on a variety of unmanned systems.

External links

• Official website
• Athena Technologies Selected to Provide Guidance and Navigation to EMT’S LUNA Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Business Wire
  Business Wire
  Business Wire is a company that disseminates full-text news releases from thousands of companies and organizations worldwide to news media, financial markets, disclosure systems, investors, information web sites, databases and other audiences. The company distributes news via its own patented...
  
  
• EMT selects Athena's GuideStar for Luna UAV conducting surveillance in Kosovo, Afghanistan, Pakistan
• NPR story: Technology for Unmanned Planes Shown in Paris
• Manned/Unmanned communities edge closer
• SEC filing