Navy orders HazMat robots

BEDFORD, Mass., Aug. 20 (UPI) -- iRobot reports it is to deliver an undisclosed number of 110 FirstLook robots to the U.S. Navy for the investigation and manipulation of hazardous materials.

The U.S. Navy order is worth $4 million, the company said, and all robots and accessories are to be delivered by February 2016.

"iRobot is pleased to provide these state-of-the-art robots to the U.S. Navy as they will help to address a wide variety of missions," said Tom Frost, senior vice president and general manager of iRobot's Defense & Security business unit. "FirstLook is light enough and rugged enough to be thrown through a window or down a flight of stairs, and its capabilities are expandable with the addition of different payloads."

The iRobot 110 FirstLook weighs just five pounds. It is compact and expandable and can provide situational awareness and persistent observation in addition to its hazardous material functions.

iRobot said the system can integrate third-party sensors for HazMat, CBRN missions and supports also thermal imagers.