iRobot [IRBT] yesterday said it has teamed with Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Advanced Scientific Concepts.
The deal grants iRobot the exclusive rights to develop and market ASC’s 3-D Flash Laser Radar or “LADAR” technology for unmanned ground vehicles and robots in exchange for future commitments to purchase units.
Separately, iRobot made a minority investment for preferred stock in the company.
ASC, with over 20 years of experience and 13 patents, provides the expertise in critical imaging technology needed for new product development. ASC’s patented Flash LADAR technology is a next-generation solid-state sensor that marks an important advancement for navigation and mapping applications for all autonomous vehicles, iRobot said in a statement.
The Flash LADAR sensors provide a 3-D movie-like image of an area that far surpasses the images produced by traditional sensor scanning and GPS navigation tools available today. Flash LADAR sensors have no moving parts and are compact, light and rugged, making them highly suitable for military operations. Other advantages of this system include the ability to be stealthy while seeing through fog, dust, smoke and other obscurants to visually freeze the entire geometry of a scene.
iRobot will develop the Flash LADAR technology for use on robots, unmanned ground vehicles and potentially other military applications. The company expects to demonstrate the technology to military customers starting in 2008, with delivery of a product expected in 2009.