The U.S. Army has just given iRobot a lucrative contract.  The Army will be paying iRobot $35.3 million for 486 PackBots (pictured after the jump).  iRobot is usually best known for making automatic vacuum cleaners.

PackBot are good for searching out for dangerous areas so human soldiers do not have to.  The order was made by the U.S. Army TACOM Contracting Center in Warren, MI.  The Army specifically ordered iRobot PackBot 510 with FasTac Kit robots.  The robots weigh 53 lbs. and can run as fast as 5.8 MPH.  The robots can last 4 hours per charge and are controlled by game-style controllers on a laptop.

Full press release after the jump.

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Earlier I wrote about how someone used an iRobot and a hamster to clean up the floor. Above is a video of a mod used to make sand patterns on your floor using an old inkjet printer and an iRobot. The sand patterns are called Rangoli which is a popular art form in India. When you get tired of the sandy art, fortunately the vacuum can suck it back up again.

Hamster owners must be used to cleaning up aquariums after their pets make a mess.  Why not let them clean up after you?  The folks at iRobot have created a prototype vacuum cleaner powered by a hamster running around a spinning ball.  Clever, eh?

The movements made by the hamster are transmitted by sensors to the vacuum.  The movement made by the hamster determines the direction and speed of the vacuum.

[via Network World]