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IRobot Corp. reports it has landed $6.1 million from the U.S. Army for spare parts for robots.
Under the deal, from the Army’s Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation, iRobot (Nasdaq: IRBT) will deliver spare parts for its PackBot robot. The order is the 12th under a previously awarded indefinite quantity/indefinite delivery contract for $200 million, bringing the total received by iRobot to $30 million.
PackBots are capable of identifying and neutralizing improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and can also be used in reconnaissance and route clearance missions. Spare parts for the robot include manipulator kits, battery packs, radios, antennas and hand controllers.
Last week, iRobot won a portion of the $3.6 million granted to a group of seven robotics companies by the Robotics Technology Consortium, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based organization working to speed up the creation and deployment of ground robotics technology for the U.S. Department of Defense and other government organizations. IRobot is working on a project titled, “Autonomous: Supervisory Control with Enhanced Situational Awareness.”
Also last week, iRobot landed a $35.3 million order from the Army TACOM Contracting Center to deliver 486 PackBot 510 with FasTac Kit robots before March 31, 2010. The PackBot 510 with FasTac Kit is intended to be lighter than similar robots and operate at speeds up to 5.8 miles per hour. It is used by soldiers and Marines in regions including Iraq and Afghanistan to investigate areas and suspicious objects using cameras and other sensors. Video and information are provided to the operator through a ruggedized laptop.
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