BINGEN, Wash., April 14 (UPI) -- The Australian subsidiary of Insitu Inc. of the United States will be the new Australian distributor of unmanned ground vehicles by iRobot Corp.
Insitu said the relationship will simplify logistics and training for Australian and New Zealand customers seeking to acquire and operate the operationally proven UGVs provided by iRobot's Government and Industrial Robots division.
Insitu Pacific, of Queensland, will support the growth of iRobot products and services in Australasia by establishing a facility in Brisbane for on-site training, full repair services and inventory storage, Insitu Pacific said.
"Delivering advanced unmanned systems capabilities requires the highest standard of industry collaboration," said Insitu Pacific Managing Director Andrew Duggan. "Bringing together Insitu Pacific's proven capability for unmanned systems support with iRobot's advanced range of operationally proven UGVs will provide Australian and New Zealand customers with the potential to leverage a significant operational UGV capability."
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In addition to working together on providing local sales and support, iRobot and Insitu Pacific will be collaborating to assess the benefits that can be obtained from UAS and UGV teaming in a range of operational scenarios.
Insitu Pacific has provided unmanned aircraft system services with the combat-proven ScanEagle UAS since 2009. Massachusetts company iRobot has delivered approximately 4,000 UGVs to military and civil defense forces worldwide including the SUGV, co-developed with Boeing for dismounted mobile operations and infantry missions, and iRobot PackBot, one of the most successful battle-tested robots in the world.
"We are excited to be working with Insitu Pacific to help grow iRobot's presence in the region," said Robert Moses, president of iRobot's Government and Industrial Robots division. "The establishment of a training and maintenance facility in Australia is especially important as it will assist us in providing world-class service to the customer."
Insitu Pacific has provided unmanned aerial system services to defense, civil and commercial interests in the Asia-Pacific region since June 2009.
Insitu Inc., located in Bingen, Wash., is a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing.
