The U.S. Army last week awarded a five-year, $200 million contract to iRobot Corp. to supply it with military robots and spare parts along with training and other services.
The pact was signed about four months after the expiration of an earlier Army contract under which iRobot supplied products based on its PackBot robot.
The new contract covers all iRobot technologies.
In a statement, Joe Dyer, president of Bedford, Mass.-based iRobot, said the deal shows that the Army is continuing to find ways to use robotic technology on the battlefield, "allowing troops to complete missions successfully while keeping them at safe distances" from dangerous situations.
In recent months, various military agencies have invested in robotics technology for the battlefield.
In May, the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, Md., awarded a $38 million contract to BAE Systems Inc. to design and build microrobots inspired by birds and insects.
And last month, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency awarded Tufts University in Medford, Mass., $3.3 million in funding to continue its efforts to develop soft robots that can squeeze into spaces a fraction of their normal size.
source: Sharon Gaudin
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