Boeing develops next-gen military robot

Small unmanned ground vehicle heading for Iraq

Clement James

Boeing has teamed up with robot manufacturer iRobot Corporation to design and develop a next-generation small unmanned ground vehicle called the SUGV Early.

The vehicle will provide military, civil and commercial users with reconnaissance and secure real-time intelligence capabilities.

Advertisement

The SUGV Early is intended to be a smaller, lighter version of the iRobot PackBot, which is used daily in Iraq and Afghanistan to disarm improvised explosive devices and search buildings, caves and tunnels for hostile forces.

IRobot has delivered more than 900 PackBots to a broad range of military and civilian customers worldwide. The robots have performed tens of thousands of missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and are credited with saving soldiers' lives.

The remotely operated and highly manoeuvrable SUGV Early will feature a video camera and commercial electro-optics, infrared sensors mounted on an articulated arm and a track-driven chassis to allow it to negotiate rough terrain and stairs.

The 30-pound unit, which can be carried in a backpack, is designed for use in a wide range of hazardous situations, such as bomb disposal and disaster relief operations.

The system uses off-the-shelf technology and employs the basic design of future networked robotic systems currently under development for the US Army. It will be ready for delivery in 2008.

Dennis Muilenburg, vice president and general manager at Boeing Combat Systems, said: "The SUGV Early builds on lessons learned from users of the combat-proven iRobot PackBot, as well as experimentation using next-generation prototypes, to provide a solution that meets immediate warfighter, civilian and commercial needs."

  • Have your say
  • Send to a friend
  • Print
  • Digg
  • Reddit
  • Share

Tags:

Do you agree?

Further reading

Salamandra Robotica

Salamander robot sheds light on evolution

Swimming to walking transition all in the spine

Boffins send medical robot on Fantastic Voyage

World first puts miniature robot inside an artery

Korea draws up robo-ethics charter

Isaac Asimov would approve

Chinese boffins develop remote control pigeons

Bush requests billions for anti-guano defences

Related whitepapers

Related jobs

Most watched

Summit: Salesforce.com on SaaS and information overload

How web services contribute to data headaches

V3.co.uk weekly debrief, 13 Nov 09

This week we discuss the inaugural V3.co.uk Summit

Analysis and Reports

Remote access - Three steps to getting connected

3.4 million UK professionals now work from home – is your company equipped?

Cost benefits of a global collaboration network

This white paper is a must read for organisations looking for evidence of the bottom-line benefits of high-definition video and voice communications

Poll

Impact of Information Overload poll

Impact of Information Overload poll

What is the biggest problem your firm faces as a result of the data explosion?

View poll results

Advertisement

White paper library

Keep up to date with the latest products, services and technologies from the world's leading IT companies; IThound.com brings you over 6,000 white papers, case studies and analyst reports.

Advertisement

Newsletter signup

Sign up for our range of FREE newsletters:

Existing User

Newsletter user login:

Enter email address to edit your newsletter preferences

Job of the week

Search thousands of IT jobs :

Search thousands of IT jobs:

Advanced search

Hiring now on ComputingCareers:

Related IT jobs

Search thousands of IT jobs :

Search thousands of IT jobs:

Advanced search

Advertisement

Spotlight

V3.co.uk weekly debrief, 13 Nov 09

This week we discuss the inaugural V3.co.uk Summit

Fingers on keyboard

New Flash vulnerability discovered

Web sites could be vulnerable to Flash attacks

Chris Adams

Summit: Microsoft Office to the rescue

Chris Adams, Office Client product manager for Microsoft UK, explains...

Illegal downloader

Industry and human rights campaigners united in opposition to "three strikes" plan

Critics says government proposals to curb illegal downloading are unworkable...

Primary Navigation