Blake Hall
Like it or not, the military is turning to robotics to perform vital field operations that are otherwise too dangerous for service members. iRobot, a robotics company that has sold $7.2 million of robot orders to defense clients around the world and offers 15 percent discounts to the military community, explains that robots of all sizes perform critical jobs that minimize casualties and injuries.
“Our customers’ missions are critical to making the world a safer place,” said Tom Frost, senior vice president and general manager of iRobot’s Defense & Security business unit. “We take pride in providing our customers with a whole family of robot solutions, from five-pound robots to 500-pound robots. Our systems are reliable, field-proven and get the job done.”
So what robots are servicemen working with in the field? Let’s do a roll call.
1. 310 SUGV
Built to serve soldiers and combat engineers, the SUGV is a 30 pound unmanned robot specialized in disposing IEDs. It comes with a long, rotating turret and arm that can pick up and move hazardous objects and high definition cameras with a 40x zoom. The U.S. Army has been using these bad boys since 2010.
2. 510 PackBot
This multi-mission robot can climb stairs, pick up bombs and detect HazMat materials. It’s payload is entirely customizable, and an operator can unpack and deploy the robot in less than two minutes. After the disastrous 2011 earthquake in Japan, PackBots were the first robots to enter the Fukushima nuclear plant. The U.S. Army bought 224 of these bots in 2014.
3. 110 FirstLook
When service members need to enter a building, they can throw this small robot into the fray without risking their safety. FirstLook is built to sneak around corners, down stairs and through windows in order to give the military their ‘first look’ at their surroundings. The U.S. Navy recently ordered a batch of these small bots.
4. 710 Kobra
If you need a robot build for power, this is it. The Kobra can lift more than 300 pounds, smash through windows and delicately cut seat belts with its colossal arm. From toxic material to clunky debris, the Kobra’s 12-foot long arm has the strength and flexibility to move it out of the way.