iRobot unveils enhanced unmanned underwater vehicle

By Chris Reidy, Globe Staff

Bedford’s iRobot Corp., which makes robots both for home and military uses, said it is introducing a new version of the Seaglider, an unmanned underwater vehicle that can be described as a seafaring robot.

The updated Seaglider’s design allows for increased payloads. Among other things, that means that the new Seaglider can be equipped with more sensors than earlier versions, iRobot said in a press release.

The Seaglider has been used by both government agencies and oceanographers to collect research data such as water temperature and salinity at various depths. After last year’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, Seagliders were equipped with sensors that could detect underwater oil plumes.

The new version of the Seaglider operates at depths between 65 feet and 3,280 feet, iRobot said, and it can complete a mission lasting longer than nine months without needing to replace its battery, iRobot said.