Technology development often runs into a dead end when the time comes to sell products. The inability to commercialize can be a developer's fatal flaw. Ensuring commercial viability takes homework.

''Our ability to commercialize is a distinction,'' claims Will Harvey, CEO of Zeus. ''There are some shops out there that do good technical work but don't focus on commercializing the vehicles, translating into a much, much higher cost per vehicle.''

While Zeus is known for the engineering that goes into its vehicles, the off-road vehicle systems design firm is just as methodical about its business case analysis. Using a regular review process to ascertain viable market opportunities, Zeus develops technologies for highly specialized applications and then repurposes them as more cost-effective versions for performance-hungry consumers.

''We take a look at markets where there is demand for off-road performance and the kind of engineering that we do, and then we assess whether or not they can be profitably addressed,'' explains Harvey.

After the company discovers profitable niche markets, it works to specify the nature and scope of the technology gap dividing the current capabilities in the industry and what is necessary to satisfy the identified need. ''Then we will gather people together and start doing concept studies to see whether the technology development is feasible,'' he continues.

Once Zeus has a technology, a product and a market clearly defined in its sights, it will seek investors interested in funding research to bridge the existing technology gap. ''Once the research is successfully completed,'' Harvey says, ''we secure additional funding for commercialization.''

As ideas for new vehicle technologies that exhibit promise in military and commercial markets become known, they become priorities in Zeus's funding pursuit.

''We are now commercializing a compact suspension technology that applies to the military market in the form of an aircraft-transportable vehicle and a base transportation...

utility vehicle,'' relays Harvey. ''On the commercial side, it is attractive to mining, construction and serious recreational users.''

For instance, Zeus is progressing on a project for the military that involves the ground-up creation of a vehicle designed to fit into the V-22 Osprey. The prototype's dimensional requirements are approximately 60'' tall and 60'' wide for ease of transportability.

The challenge for Zeus's design team was to overcome the technical challenge of delivering outstanding off-road vehicle dynamics despite such a narrow vehicle envelope. The team spent the better part of one year creatively solving this problem during the design process.

Many of the team's solutions or technologies are recognizable in the commercial application, an independent project that targets land-roving consumers.

''The suspension will deliver the superior handling and severe terrain accommodation that are simply absent from vehicles that are currently available commercially,'' declares Harvey. ''The vehicle is compact in size yet achieves long, top-of-the-industry wheel travel for a comfortable ride.''

Sporting truck-quality construction, it will be much stronger and more robust than most commercially available utility vehicles, most of which hail from an all-terrain vehicle (ATV) background.

''If you put them side by side,'' Harvey says, ''you'll see marked differences in the workmanship and the construction.''

Zeus occasionally collaborates with privately held companies on projects that align with the company's core competencies and technical capabilities. A company called EarthCare approached Zeus to assist with the design and fabrication of its own proprietary vehicle. The project was uncommon in that the proposed vehicle was quite massive but also had the need to achieve compactness during overseas shipping.

Drawing from an intimate knowledge of compact vehicle design, Zeus helped with the design of an accordion wheelbase. In short, the vehicle actually expands to an open position in preparation for use and then collapses to a closed position for storage. Zeus successfully built the design and shipped three vehicles to Nigeria over the course of seven months.

''The trick to commercializing technology is to start with the product and market in mind. Often companies get into the trap of developing the technology and then trying to figure out how to sell it. We work backwards from the product to identify the technology gap, and then we find funding to develop what's missing,'' asserts Harvey.

''This dramatically increases the probability of our ending up with a viable product, and everybody gets a better product for less money.''

Contact Will Harvey at info@gozeus.com or 479.439.6110, x111, to request additional information about specific models.