iRobot gets Seaglider contracts from the Navy

Bedford, Mass - iRobot Corp. said it has received two contracts from the Naval Oceanographic Office at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.

The Seaglider is a deep-diving Unmanned Underwater Vehicle that has the capacity to perform missions that last many months and covering thousands of miles. The Seaglider was recently used in the Gulf of Mexico to collect data for scientists researching the effects of the catastrophic oil spill from earlier this year, noted a press release from iRobot, which makes a range of robot products, from robots that scout battlefields to robots that perform household chores such as vacuuming a living room.

"The first contract calls for the delivery of iRobot Seaglider Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs), for a total value of up to $920,000, including options," iRobot said. "The company also received a contract valued at up to approximately $900,000, including options over three years, to refurbish, upgrade and support NAVOCEANO's (Naval Oceanographic Office's) existing fleet of Seaglider systems."