iRobot [IRBT], a developer and supplier of small robotic vehicles to the military and commercial markets, has introduced a new robot to its product line aimed at providing public safety and civil security agencies with a low cost, tactical platform that can accommodate several surveillance and chemical detection upgrades for improved reconnaissance surveillance.
Price at under $20,000 for the basic unit, the Negotiator is a result of the demand from budget conscious public safety agencies around the U.S. who can’t afford the company’s well known ruggedized PackBot series of reconnaissance robots used by the U.S. military, the company says.
“It allows basic entry robots to be used by a much broader audience,” Jim Rymarcsuk, vice president of sales, marketing and alliances for iRobot’s Government and Industrial Division, tells TR2. The cost for a Negotiator is between 20 and 25 percent of the price for a PackBot, he says.
The man-portable Negotiator is similar in size and profile to the PackBot and features the same tracked flippers that enable the military robot to easily climb stairs, move over obstacles and pivot upward slightly. The battery powered robot comes equipped with a high resolution color camera mounted internally in the front of the chassis along with an infrared (IR) light emitting diode array for illumination to provide basic reconnaissance capabilities. It also allows for two-way communication.
Upgrades top the Negotiator for more robust public safety applications include a pan/tilt day and nigh camera mounted on top of the chassis, a low light IR illuminated camera system, a rear-mounted fixed day and night camera system, a rear-mounted light, and a MultiRAE Plus Gas Monitor Detection system, which is supplied by RAE Systems [RAE].
The Negotiator isn’t as rugged as the PackBot, meaning it’s not made to be thrown through windows and into buildings, Rymarcsuk says.
iRobot does currently sell into the civil market with a PackBot outfitted with a first responder kit for hazardous materials and bomb disposal teams. However, Negotiator opens up the civil market to a larger number of public safety agencies such as police, fire and rescue that would like a tactical robotic reconnaissance platform, Rymarcsuk says.
“The Negotiator will allow us to grow much faster in the civil market,” Rymarcsuk says.
iRobot expects to begin shipping units in the fourth quarter of 2008. The company began giving quotes on potential orders earlier this month with the product announcement. The system has been going through a series of ongoing operational evaluations by certain public safety agencies, Rymarcsuk says. The unit can be operated remotely from about 800 feet.
In addition to PackBot, iRobot also offers various home robots used for routine cleaning chores. Home robots are the largest source of revenue for the nearly $100 million company.