BEDFORD, Mass., 27 May 2008.iRobot Corp. has received orders under two separate contracts from the U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), that manages these contracts on behalf of the Robotic Systems Joint Project Office at Warren, Mich., and Huntsville, Ala.
PEO STRI placed a $16 million order, the third under the xBot contract, to put more than 200 robots and spare parts into the hands of infantry by October 31, 2008. Orders to date total $27 million under this $286 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract.
iRobot also received a delivery order totaling $6.3 million under the PEO STRI contract for a combination of iRobot PackBot® 510 with EOD kit robots, the iRobot PackBot with ICx Fido Explosives Detection Kits, as well as spare parts and equipment. Total orders under this $64 million IDIQ contract equal $52 million, and iRobot expects to complete delivery by the end of September 30, 2008.
"Each day, the military is using our robots to perform missions that leverage the benefits of robots in theater," says Joe Dyer, president of iRobot Government and Industrial Robots. "Continued investment by the U.S. Army further validates these advantages, especially the ability to complete critical missions at safe standoff distances."
The robots ordered under both contracts will help warfighters address critical mission needs, including reconnaissance, building clearance, chemical sensing, investigation of suspicious objects and identification of roadside bombs, as well as other IEDs.
