U.S Army Accelerates Testing of iRobot's Future Combat Systems SUGV

Soldiers to Begin Robot Field Exercises in May 2008

(Burlington, Mass., January 17, 2008) -- iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT) today announced that the U.S. Army has accelerated its testing schedules for iRobot's Future Combat Systems (FCS) Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV) robot development program. The updated plan calls for iRobot to deliver a total of 25 FCS SUGV robots by April 2008. The Army Evaluation Task Force (AETF) will begin evaluation and testing of the robots in May 2008. This effort is intended to provide an early capability of SUGV to soldiers in the field. The SUGV Systems Development and Demonstration program will continue to mature the SUGV with its full network capability.

The initial soldier evaluations will determine the capabilities and limitations of the SUGV platform. These evaluations will support the Army's production decision, which is expected in September 2008. FCS will procure a select number of these early SUGV units and then transition to the full network-capable SUGV as scheduled by the FCS program.

"We continue to receive a tremendous amount of positive feedback from soldiers in theater that iRobot PackBot is an essential tool for ensuring mission readiness and improving situational awareness to keep soldiers out of harm's way," said Vice Admiral Joseph Dyer (U.S. Navy, Ret.), president of iRobot's Government & Industrial Robots division. "We see this acceleration as clear evidence of the U.S. Army's recognition of the critical role robots play in arming soldiers with the best intelligence and combat options to provide clear advantage on the battlefield."

FCS SUGV is a tactical reconnaissance robot designed to assist soldiers in obtaining intelligence in dangerous or otherwise inaccessible areas. Modeled after the combat-proven iRobot PackBot, the SUGV offers multiple video sensors for real-time day/night tactical situational awareness. At just 30 pounds, SUGV's portability, modularity and agility make it an essential component of the individual soldier's gear in the integrated FCS program.

Source : iRobot Corp.

Recent News from iRobot Corp.

• iRobot to further Develop its Next - Gen Robotic Platform Warrior 700 [Defence] [ Thu 13 Nov 2008 ]
• iRobot Receives Additional $3.5 M Order From US Army [Defence] [ Fri 7 Nov 2008 ]
• iRobot Delivers 2,000th PackBot Robot [Defence] [ Thu 30 Oct 2008 ]
• iRobot Receives $3.7 M Order from NAVSEA [Defence] [ Tue 28 Oct 2008 ]
• iRobot Receives Additional Army Order Worth $2.1 M [Defence] [ Fri 17 Oct 2008 ]
• iRobot Receives a $3.75 M From TARDEC For iRobot Warrior 700 [Defence] [ Fri 3 Oct 2008 ]
• iRobot Receives Order From US Army Totaling $13.3 M [Defence] [ Fri 26 Sep 2008 ]