Army orders Packbot spare parts

BEDFORD, Mass., Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The U.S. Army has placed a new order with iRobot Corp. for the delivery of spare parts to support its widely deployed tactical mobile robot technologies.

Massachusetts-based iRobot received the order from Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation as part of its Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract.

As part of the $6.1 million order, iRobot will deliver spare parts for its PackBot line of tactical robots, deployed by military units to identify and neutralize improvised explosive devices among other threats.

"The iRobot PackBot is an extremely rugged robot, one that is built to endure the harsh elements of today's battlefield," Joe Dyer, iRobot Government and Industrial Robots president, said in a statement.

"As these robots are put through their paces, it is important to ensure that they are properly maintained. We are pleased to be providing these parts to the Army so that existing PackBots can continue working alongside our troops."