The 14-pound, 16-inch Dragon Runner robot was originally developed for the Marines, to be a tiny little spy. Now, the machine has been given an upgrade. And its ready for a bunch of new missions – including handling roadside bombs.
The biggest improvement to the 'bot is that it can now be configured and reconfigured in all kinds of ways. The machine used to roll on wheels only. Now, it can be outfitted with tracks, to handle rougher terrain, or to climb stairs. For surveillance duty, operators can add cameras, motion detectors, and microphones.
Troops can hook on a pint-sized gripper arm, with a rotating shoulder. That lets the packback-sized 'bot grab small explosives, if necessary. Here's a video, of just such a mission:
ALSO:
- 700-Ton Ground Bot Pushes Trust Envelope
- iRobot Scores $200 Million Army Deal; Could Include Former Foe's Machines
- WALL-E Look-a-Like Wins British Robot Showdown
- Up to 4000 More War Bots in New 'Unmanned Surge'
- Revenge: iRobot Selling Former Foe's Machine
- The Strange Case of the Army's Robot Thief
- Unmanned "Surge": 3000 More Robots for War
- And the Winner of the Robot Surge Is...
- Accused Trade Secret Thief: "The 'Bot Set Me Up!"
- "Unmanned Surge" Deal Reversed
- Military Machines do Robot Yoga
- Chem-Sniffing Robots Prepped for Iraq, A-Stan
- Roomba Maker Will Build Blob 'Bots
- Robot + Super-Gun = 'Crowd Control'
- Roomba-Maker Unveils Kill-Bot
- Army Demos Video Game-Controlled Robot
- Iraqi Extremists Claim Killer 'Bot Takeover
- Taser-Armed 'Bot Ready to Zap Pathetic Humans
- iRobot Goes to Sea
- Army Wanted Backpack Bot To Haul Fire Extinguisher
- PackBot Goes Kite-Surfing
- Video: iPhone Sends Packbot Spinning
