iRobot Corp. (NASDAQ: IRBT has received two orders from the U.S. Army?s Robotic Systems Joint Program Office (RSJPO) totaling $6 million. The orders call for the delivery of spares for iRobot 510 PackBot robots, including operator control units, manipulator arms and radios. All deliveries will be completed by November 30, 2012. The 60-pound 510 Packbot?s primary duty is EOD ? explosive ordnance disposal. It enters dangerous areas and disarms bombs so that human troops don?t have to. The robot is operated with a 4.9 or 2.4 GHz radio that has a 15? operator control unit (OCU), which is essentially a laptop with a game-style controller that?s used to manipulate and maneuver the robot and to gain ?situational awareness? from the robot?s 3-D imagery, taken with 312x zoom cameras that work in all levels of lighting. The Packbot can be equipped with sensors for various scents and sounds so that it can offer the operator and his squadron important information in the face of chemical warfare, hazardous materials and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) at checkpoint inspections and other dangerous situations. The Packbot?s ?manipulators? ? its arm-like appendages ? enable it to lift 30-pound loads and place bomb disruptors precisely as it roams around at six or seven miles per hour. Depending on what sensor kits are installed on the Packbot, it costs around $100,000 to produce one robot. ?Over the course of the past decade, PackBot has proven its worth as a life-saving tool in areas of conflict and for emergency response,? said Tim Trainer, interim general manager of iRobot?s Defense & Security business unit. ?These robots represent a safer, more effective and more efficient way to conduct dangerous operations both on and off the battlefield. We believe that this technology is an important piece of the military?s future and are pleased that the Army continues to invest in its current fleet of robots.? iRobot has delivered more than 4,500 unmanned ground vehicles to military and civil defense forces worldwide.