WEST POINT, N.Y., March 23 (UPI) -- A company that produces robots for U.S. military and law enforcement agencies is donating 10 of its devices to West Point.
The donation by iRobot Corp. is to help future U.S. Army officers learn about robotic technologies that expected to play a growing role in military operations, the West Point Association of Graduates said Friday.
"We are committed to helping West Point provide the next generation of military leaders with a fundamental knowledge of robotics," said Joe Dyer, president of iRobot Government & Industrial Robots.
The academy launched an internship program last summer in which six cadets worked as interns at iRobot's offices in Massachusetts and California.
Robots that have been used for several years by police bomb squads have been adapted for use by troops operating in Iraq and Afghanistan. The primary function is also ordnance disposal, however robots are also capable of carrying out scouting missions in caves, buildings and other areas where enemy troops, booby traps or improvised explosive devices might be present.
The iRobot company is also involved with John Deere in the development of an Autonomous Unmanned Ground Vehicle called the R-Gator, which is designed to carry out longer-range scout missions, haul supplies and even act as a perimeter sentry.
Civilians may know the company better as the creator of Scooba, a disc-shaped automated floor cleaner that acts as an unmanned mop.
