iRobot Army contract is expected to be $63 million

Burlington's iRobot Corp. said today that its Army contract to develop next-generation portable battlefield robots now totals $63 million.

That total includes $6 million to accelerate delivery of 25 Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle, or SUGV, robots to the Army's Future Combat Systems program for testing.

To date, iRobot said it has delivered more than 1,400 PackBot robots to military and civilian customers; the PackBot can scout hostile terrain without putting soldiers at risk.

Modeled after the PackBot, the SUGV features a rugged, lightweight body that enables a single soldier to carry and deploy the robot, the company said.

Aside from military robots, iRobot also makes robots that do household chores; the Roomba, for example, will vacuum floors and rugs.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)