Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Army orders up $7.8M worth of more PackBots from iRobot

By Mass High Tech staff

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Bedford-based robotics firm iRobot Corp. says that it has landed an order from the U.S. Army totaling $7.8 million under its current xBot contract for more robots and spare parts.

The U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) delivered iRobot (Nasdaq: IRBT) what is now its ninth order under the $286 million xBot contract, bringing the total amount awarded to date to approximately $80 million.

This latest order calls for iRobot to deliver 90 iRobot PackBot 510 with FasTac Kit robots, as well as spare parts. iRobot has now delivered more than 2,200 PackBot robots to the U.S. Army

Late last month iRobot won a $5.5 million order for 72 more PackBot robots. The PackBot 510 with FasTac Kit, being used in both Iraq and Afghanistan, was created for reconnaissance missions and to identify roadside bombs, improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and other unexploded ordnance.

In November, iRobot won $2 million worth of congressional support to improve development and production of its Warrior 700 robot for combat areas. The iRobot Warrior carries up to 150-pound payloads and covers inaccessible and dangerous areas with sensor readings and real-time video and audio. The robot also features a different center of gravity from previous robots, adding to its mobility, according to iRobot.

For 2007, iRobot reported a profit of $9 million on revenue of $249 million.