3,000 robots, coming right up
The Pentagon yanks a $286 million deal from upstart Robotic FX and hands it over to longtime supplier iRobot.
In the world of robot makers--specifically, those making small, versatile, ground-hugging bots--for quite some time there were just two main contenders for Pentagon dollars: Foster-Miller and iRobot. Then along came an upstart named Robotic FX, which a few months back up-ended things by winning a $286 million deal from the Army to supply some 3,000 robots. And then, wouldn't you know it, iRobot took Robotic FX to court. The upshot? Today, that $286 million is headed iRobot's way.
Read about it on Wired's Danger Room blog: "'Unmanned Surge' Deal Reversed"