By Nick Gilbert
ReconRobotics has recently declared that it has received a $13.9 M worth contract for 1,000 of its miniature, throwable, mobile robots from the U.S. Army’s Rapid Equipping Force.
Throwbot XT
The Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract will simplify the purchasing process for rapid delivery on the company’s pre-priced micro-robot systems and for deploying Army and Marine Corps units. With Recon’s micro-robots, the U.S. Military will provide immediate tactical reconnaissance to four- and five-man fire teams during surveillance missions, counter-IED efforts, and urban warfare operations. Under this contract, ReconRobotics has started supplying the first order for 84 robots.
The 2007-launch of throwable 1.2-lb Recon Scout micro-robot made ReconRobotics as a well-known company having a new class of military robots. Unlike the previously used bulky (30-80 lbs of weight) military robots, the current warfighter can lift compactly packed Throwbot XT, followed by quick deployment within 5 s to achieve lifesaving video and audio reconnaissance. This potential clearly reveals the presence of civilians, the number of enemy combatants, and the locations of improvised explosive devices (IEDs). At present, over 2,000 of the Recon’s robots have been deployed in Afghanistan.
Over 4,600 Recon Scout micro-robots are under contract or being deployed globally. With its small size and simple deployment capabilities, these micro-robots can be lowered into crawl spaces or caves, or thrown up to 120 ft to investigate weapons caches and other hidden threats.
ReconRobotics launched the Throwbot XT on June 8. With an automatic, infrared optical system, the Throwbot XT micro-robot delivers audio eavesdropping capabilities as well as video reconnaissance to U.S. troops.
Recon Scout robots provide efficient tactical reconnaissance for high-risk operations to over 500 police and security agencies as well as allied military and police forces, globally.
Source: http://www.reconrobotics.com/