iRobot's latest Negotiator robot to help police and soldiers in tactical tight spots

When in doubt, send in a robot. That’s an increasingly common solution for the military and police these days. iRobot, the maker of cave-busting and vacuum-cleaning robots, today is announcing the introduction of its iRobot Negotiator.

This low-cost tactical robot is designed to meet the basic reconnaissance needs of public safety professionals. The robot is a follow-on to the bigger iRobot PackBot 510. It costs less and is smaller, but can still negotiate through tough terrain such as stairs, as you can see in the photo.

The Negotiator is targeted at police departments, fire departments and domestic security experts. Depending on the customers’ needs, the robot can be outfitted with a civil response kit and a range of add-on accessories, enhancing its reconnaissance and chemical detection capabilities. It will be available in the fourth quarter.

To date, iRobot has delivered more than 1,600 PackBot robots and more than 2 million Roomba vacuum-cleaner robots. The company recently announced a line of robots that sniff out chemicals for the military and another line that can dive underwater for research purposes. Maybe the next robot they make will be a Jetsons-style household servant.

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