Navy awards iRobot contract modification for bomb-disposal unmanned ground vehicles

INDIAN HEAD, Md., 15 March 2013. U.S. Navy robotics experts are making another order to iRobot Corp. in Bedford, Mass., for bomb-disposal unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) to help Navy and Marine Corps. explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) technicians detect, identify, and disable explosives from safe distances.

The Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division in Indian Head, Md., announced a $28.8 million contract modification to iRobot Friday for Man Transportable Robotic Systems (MTRSs), as well as depot-level repair, spare parts, and training.

The MTRS is a small robotic vehicle used by Explosive Ordnance Disposal technicians to conduct remote reconnaissance, render safe, and/or dispose of explosive devices.

Since 2009 iRobot has won several Navy contracts for the MTRS, which is modeled after the iRobot PackBot 500 with electronic ordnance disposal kit. The original agreement was a $13.5 million indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract in 2009.

Since then iRobot has won Navy contracts 2010, 2011, and 2012 for Man-Transportable Robotic Systems. On the latest contract iRobot will do the work in Bedford, Mass., and will be finished in April 2014.

For more information contact iRobot online at www.irobot.com, or the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division at www.navsea.navy.mil/nswc/indianhead.