Comments on: iRobots Sell, But Who’s Buying?

By: cj

cj — Fri, 29 Dec 2006 16:14:22 +0000

How about a little solidarity here guys. We are all Americans here, right.
Good for irobot. Good for Mass. if American companies can design anything to save lives, and build it in this country, it only makes sense for them to get this business. The enemy does not care if they kill republicans or democrats or civilians. United we stand, divided we fall.

By: Bob S,

Bob S, — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 05:11:17 +0000

Charles’ swipe at Sens. Kerry and Kennedy is ethically inappropriate and substantively bizarre. Even if they were not both wealthy men, it is totally ridiculous to suggest their procurement decisions could be swayed by a free dinner, Roomba, or anything else. Now that we’re in the post-Abramoff, post-neocon, post-DeLay, post-Rove world, let’s get back to solving problems instead of name-calling.

By: JackD

JackD — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 23:59:47 +0000

I’ll tell you what is a success – just to bring a little levity to the conversation – the iRobot household robots. They may not be able to disarm a bomb just yet (it’s coming) but I’ll tell you what they can do. They can scooba and roomba the crap off my floors. And in testament to their growing power they now have a more industrial model aptly titled… wait for it… the Dirt Dog. Argh. Do not underestimate the power of the iRobot floor cleaning family.

By: M.Kelso

M.Kelso — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 09:55:26 +0000

I also work at remotec and I wonder, do any of you use the MINI, F6A or RONS ?
How do they perform and do you have any suggestions that I can pass along to the Boss?
We want to do all we can to help you guys.

By: irobot_fixer

irobot_fixer — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 07:12:19 +0000

I am in the NAVY reserves and I volunteered to go to Iraq and fix the EOD bots; I spent 2 1/2 weeks driving the things around (fun) but then the I-ROBOT tech rep showed up for a day and showed us more about operation… so about 2 hours before his flight left I finaly decided to ask when he was going to show us how to “Fix” em, he grinned and chuckled and said “your not going to open em, your going to pack em up and send em to us”. I decided to unvolunteer, apparently they wanted a gift wrapper not a tech; this was about 2 years ago, I understand the techs actually fix em now.

By: kristina

kristina — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 13:16:06 +0000

From the research I’ve done, IRobot shows up as a “partner” on the list of companies that are involved in the Future Combat Systems(FCS)program. Foster-Miller is not a partner and the fact that Qinteq is not a US based company probably precludes it from being a partner and thus lowers the Talon’s visibility.

By: PFC Gates

PFC Gates — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 17:14:06 +0000

I am in the Guard and noticed this page. My Civ. Job is At Remotec, a Northrop Grumman Subsidary. They are also one of the leading EOD Robot contractors yet they were not mentioned. Just thought I would mention them. Thanks!

By: Aaron Weissman

Aaron Weissman — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 11:25:46 +0000

Both robots have their place in the EOD load-out. I am currently serving in Iraq and one of the teams just blew up a Packbot on an IED. I really don’t care who says who has the better robot. They are totally different and are treated that way. A Packbot can do great things with it’s design. Stairs are a breeze and it wins hands down on searches. The Talon also has it’s place. Simplicity is key when you have to get in and out in a hurry. Most techs I know like the fact that the Talon is idiot proof to operate. Others with more video game experience seem to do amazing things with a Packbot. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t care who is better; I care about bringing guys home in one piece. And as for the picture you have at the top of the post; look under the Packbots and you will see Talons.

By: Noah Shachtman

Noah Shachtman — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 13:52:44 +0000

Please note that this “thorn” fellow runs a blog that “covers the iRobot Corporation, including its key products… that will make our lives better and keep our troops safe.”

“I am an iRobot investor,” he adds, “because I believe the company is in the vanguard of the movement to transform robotics from a niche industry to an extremely profitable and increasingly ubiquitous technology that will soon be evident in households, vehicles, and businesses and make our world a cleaner, safer, smarter, more efficient place.”

By: thorn_stevens

thorn_stevens — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 13:36:41 +0000

Packbot and Talon each have their strengths. But Talon is much heavier, which makes it less convenient to have forward deployed. A Packbot can be in a backpack and ready to go at the drop of a hat. And the darn things are supposed to be able to be dropped from 25 feet without a problem, so ruggedness shouldn’t be an issue.