iRobot Corp: Developed a New Microbot for Military Applications iRobot Ember

Ember is a prototype and was developed under Phase 1 of DARPA’s ongong LANdroids program.

LANdroids Program Goal:

To provide warfighters operating in dense urban environments with tools to deploy and maintain an ad-hoc communication infrastructure.

Ember’s Statistics & Capabilities:

-- Approximately one pound

-- Unprecedented mobility for vehicles of similar size

-- Uses a flipper mechanism for self righting and obstacle climbing

-- Accepts USB and SDIO based payload modules, including radios and sensors

One single warfighter will be able to carry and deploy multiple robots:

-- Ultimately, these robots will be inexpensive to the point of being disposable

-- They will be robust enough to allow the warfighter to drop and throw them into position

-- They will be smart enough to detect and avoid obstacles while navigating its environment