iRobot to Build Soft Military Robots

By Nick Mokey June 17, 2008

iRobot to Build Soft Military Robots

The next generation of military robot won’t be gun-toting, armored, or equipped with explosives. Instead, it will be soft. So says iRobot about the next custom robot it will be engineering for the U.S. military.

The company announced Tuesday that it had received a multi-year, $3.3 million contract for the mobile robots from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Army Research Office. Their mission: build a so-called ChemBot that can worm its way through the most cluttered and complex environments, and through openings that are smaller than it is.

“Unmanned platforms such as mechanical robots are of limited effectiveness if the only available points of entry are small openings,” said DARPA program manager Mitchell Zakin, Ph.D., in a statement. “We believe that a new class of soft, flexible, meso-scale mobile objects that can identify and maneuver through openings smaller than their dimensions to perform various tasks will be quite valuable in many missions.”

iRobot, makers of the popular Roomba and Scooba home-cleaning robots, already makes an array of government and industrial robots such as the popular PackBot line, the remotely driven R-Gator, and the FCS SUGV.

Editors' Recommendations

Managing Editor

As Digital Trends’ Managing Editor, Nick Mokey oversees an editorial team delivering definitive reviews, enlightening…

Outdoors

Best lawn mower deals: Cordless, gas, electric and robotic

A robot lawn mower in a backyard while a family relaxes.

It can be a bit tiring to go out and mow your lawn every few days or weeks, but a lot of that comes down to having a good lawnmower. Older models tend not to have the same features and quality-of-life upgrades that modern lawnmowers have, so if you've been thinking that you really need a new lawnmower, then you're in luck. There are a lot of great lawnmower deals to be had across various budgets, and we've listed some of our favorites below, including a few robot lawn mower deals that will really cut down on the amount of mowing work you need to do.
Litheli 20-volt Cordless -- $170, was $190

Thanks to its brushless motor, capable of 4500 RPMs, you'll get significantly reduced vibration and noise when mowing, even the toughest of lawns. Pairing that with the five separate cutting heights, and a 13-inch blade, you'll see effective cuts on your blades of grass with near effortless labor behind it -- you don't have to work as hard to get an even and in-depth cut. The high-performance battery offers 25 minutes of runtime on a single charge with a lock-off button and trigger switch for safety. It's a great option for small to medium-sized yards. Even if your yard is bigger, you can grab an extra battery or two to extend the runtime.

Smart Home

Dreame X40 Ultra vs. Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra: Which is the best premium robot vacuum?

The Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra connected to plumbing.

Robot vacuums don't have the most creative names. The vast majority of products available today largely carry names comprised of a random assortment of numbers and words, and it can be hard to discern how one product compares to another unless you do some serious digging. That's especially true of the Dreame X40 Ultra and Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra, which both carry a hodgepodge of characters followed by the "Ultra" moniker. But naming quirks aside, there's no denying these are two of the best robot vacuums money can buy.

That begs the question -- should you purchase the Dreame X40 Ultra or Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra for your smart home? You truly can't go wrong with either, but here's a closer look at both to ensure you're getting the right robot for your needs.
Pricing and availability

Smart Home

There’s a robot vacuum for $79 in Walmart’s Memorial Day sale

The iHome AutoVac Juno robot vacuum cleaning the floor.

If you’re interested in automating cleaning with a robot vacuum but don’t want to spend too much, Walmart has some great robot vacuum deals right now. That includes being able to save a huge $120 off the iHome AutoVac Juno Robot Vacuum bringing it down to just $79 for a limited time only. If that sounds like the perfect price to you but you need to know a little more, keep reading and we’ll take you through all you need to know.

Why you should buy the iHome AutoVac Juno Robot Vacuum
If you’ve checked out the best robot vacuums but decided you need to keep costs down, you’ll appreciate how much the iHome AutoVac Juno Robot Vacuum offers while staying super affordable.