Touche! iRobot Wins $286 Million Army Contract!

iRobot announced it has been awarded the xBot contract, meaning they just got their stainless steel hands on a 286 million cash cow.

This is serious stuff, as iRobot talks about an "Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) contract given by the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), on behalf of the "Robotic Systems Joint Project Office at Redstone Arsenal."

And check this out! Under the terms of this contract, the Army could order up to 3,000 military robots, spare parts, training and repair services over the next five years. This contact proves once again the Army's intentions to broaden the deployment of robots in larger scale to general infantry forces for a variety of missions. According to iRobot, the company will immediately begin to deliver the first 101 robots for urgent deployment.

"This new generation of robots is set to arrive in theatre and change the way the Army fights. Robots give our troops the distinct advantage of completing critical missions at a safe distance; more robots create a greater strategic advantage. We are honoured to serve our troops by delivering these robots for urgent deployment." said Joe Dyer, president of iRobot Government and Industrial Robots.

The lowest price, as well as the fact that iRobot is technically the most qualified bidder were the main reasons why the Army picked them. The iRobot's winning xBot prototype robot is "based closely on the combat-proven iRobot PackBot military robot platform". xBot is a generic name, and the robots delivered to forces under the contract will be named iRobot PackBot 510 with FasTac Kit. These robots are smaller and lighter than the iRobot PackBot 510, with a robust gripper and an observation mast equipped with a low-light-capable zoom camera.

Until now, iRobot has delivered more than 1,200 PackBot robots, which were immediately enrolled and engaged in dangerous missions. So, uh, it's all about protecting people, right?

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