Amit Chowdhry | September 2, 2009 | 276 views | Comments Categorized under iRobot, U.S. Army
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.
The U.S. Army is trying innovative new ways to reach out to today’s youth for recruitment. In this case, they are turning to both Twitter and Facebook.
Lieutenant General Benjamin Freakley oversees recruiting for the Army and is managing the social networking initiative. Facebook is a key way to reach 18-24 year olds according to Freakley. You could become friends with the recruiter and then the recruiter would be able to talk to your friends.
General Raymond Odierno, a top commander in Iraq set up a Facebook page where anyone can ask questions and receive answers regarding the mission in Iraq. The U.S. Air Force and The U.S. Coast Guard has also launched a social networking initiative on Facebook recently as well.
Some of the questions that have been asked include “Can I have a dog in the army” and “Can I be married in the Army?” Lindy Kyzer updates the Army’s Twitter feed and blog. To maintain transparency, negative posts are not removed.
