Space Travel News  
New iRobot PackBot Payload Offers Ruggedized Situational Awareness

The Mapping Kit payload technology is the result of years of advanced research and development at iRobot.
by Staff Writers
Burlington MA (SPX) Dec 13, 2007
iRobot has announced the iRobot PackBot with Mapping Kit, a proven platform with a new payload designed to help warfighters deftly manage the dangerous tasks of search, surveillance and reconnaissance missions. PackBot with Mapping Kit is the first field tested and deployed robot to integrate real-time mapping and semi-autonomous remote operational capabilities, delivering soldiers advanced situational awareness while they remain a safe distance from danger.

"PackBot with Mapping Kit utilizes new technology that directly addresses the needs of modern warfighter and other first responders to safely gather crucial environmental intelligence without having to enter hazardous situations," said Vice Admiral Joe Dyer (U.S. Navy, Ret.), president of iRobot Government and Industrial Robots division. "We foresee it becoming an invaluable addition to small unmanned ground vehicle operations that require fast and reliable navigation capabilities in rugged environments."

The Mapping Kit payload technology is the result of years of advanced research and development at iRobot. Through a state-of-the-art combination of sensors and artificial intelligence, PackBot with Mapping Kit can relay a real-time two-dimensional structural map of the environment it is moving through back to its operator, while simultaneously detecting and avoiding obstacles in its path. The soldier still maintains control of the robot, but if an obstacle is encountered, PackBot is capable of autonomously changing course to avoid imminent collisions. This advanced autonomy enables the operator to navigate faster and smarter through unknown environments, increasing the safety and tempo of operations in time-critical situations.

Related Links
The latest in Military Technology for the 21st century at SpaceWar.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Boeing Completes First Mission System Test Flight Of Peace Eagle AEW And C Aircraft
St. Louis MO (SPX) Dec 13, 2007
Boeing has conducted a successful first mission system flight test of a 737 Airborne Early Warning and Control (AEW and C) aircraft for Turkey's Peace Eagle program. During the flight from Boeing Field in Seattle, Wash., Boeing and Turkish industry engineers tested the aircraft's communications system, including establishing links with a ground-based Boeing system integration lab and local air traffic control towers using UHF, VHF and HF radios.







  • NASA Selects Prime Contractor For Ares I Rocket Avionics
  • ATK Test Fires Liquid Oxygen-Methane Rocket Engine In Vacuum
  • Russian Carrier Rocket Proton Puts Military Satellite Into Orbit
  • Aerojet Develops Innovative Reaction Control Engine Technology

  • Russia Tests Engine For Angara Carrier Rocket
  • United Launch Alliance Launches 2nd COSMO Satellite
  • ATK Receives Contract And Delivers 100th Orion Solid Rocket Motor
  • Arianespace warns US over Chinese space 'dumping'

  • NASA to test faulty shuttle gauges next week
  • Daunting technical problem mars a good year for NASA
  • NASA pushes shuttle launch into 2008
  • Shuttle Launch Now Targeted For 2nd January

  • Columbus Launch Now No Earlier Than 2nd January
  • New space mission aims to broaden Europe's ISS role
  • Jules Verne ATV Given Its Wings
  • The European Columbus Space Laboratory Set To Reach ISS

  • Brain Stem Cells Sensitive To Space Radiation
  • Lockheed Martin Team Opens Development Laboratory For Orion And Constellation
  • Kennedy's Desert RATS
  • Voyager 2 Proves Solar System Is Squashed

  • China's space ambitions key to nation's strength: Hu
  • Chang'e-1 Photographs Dark Side Of The Moon
  • China-Made Satellite Navigation System To Support Olympic Games
  • China says space ambitions no cause for foreign concern

  • Honda's ASIMO robot gets smarter
  • Toyota's new robot can play the violin, help the aged
  • Humanoid teaches dentists to feel people's pain: researchers
  • Japan looks at everyday use of robots

  • Mars Orbiter Examines Lace And Lizard Skin Terrain
  • Building Blocks Of Life Formed On Mars
  • Software Helps Mars Rovers Find Winter Havens
  • Mars Express Watches A Dust Storm Engulf Mars

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright Space.TV Corporation. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space.TV Corp on any Web page published or hosted by Space.TV Corp. Privacy Statement