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iRobot Receives Seaglider Contracts from the U.S. Navy

^{Published on 2010-10-25 06:07:31 - Market Wire}
 

BEDFORD, Mass.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT), a leader in delivering robotic technology-based solutions, today announced it received two contracts from the Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) at Stennis Space Center, Miss. The first contract calls for the delivery of iRobot Seaglidera" Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs), for a total value of up to $920,000, including options. The company also received a contract valued at up to approximately $900,000, including options over three years, to refurbish, upgrade and support NAVOCEANOa™s existing fleet of Seaglider systems.

"Seaglider is a remarkable piece of technology"

The iRobot Seaglider is a deep-diving UUV that performs missions lasting many months and covering thousands of miles. It is used by scientists and government agencies to collect various ocean data and can be piloted from anywhere in the world. Seaglider was recently used in the Gulf of Mexico to collect data for scientists researching the effects of the oil spill. iRobot licensed the Seaglider technology from the University of Washington in 2008 and has been improving the design and adding advanced capability. To date, iRobot has received orders for 30 of its Seaglider systems.

aSeaglider is a remarkable piece of technology,a said Robert Moses, president of iRobota™s Government and Industrial Robots division. aBy staying out at sea for up to ten months at a time on a single battery charge, it offers researchers an extremely cost-effective way to collect data. Seaglider proved itself as an important tool for scientists in the Gulf of Mexico. iRobot looks forward to maintaining NAVOCEANOa™s current fleet and is pleased to provide new Seaglider systems that will be used in years to come.a

More than 135 Seaglider UUVs have been delivered to customers worldwide, including the U.S. Navy, government agencies and research organizations.

About iRobot Corp.

iRobot designs and builds robots that make a difference. The companya™s home robots help people with smarter ways to clean, and its government and industrial robots protect those in harma™s way. iRobota™s consumer and military robots feature iRobot Aware® robot intelligence systems, proprietary technology incorporating advanced concepts in navigation, mobility, manipulation and artificial intelligence. For more information about iRobot, please visit [ www.irobot.com ].