By Ann Roosevelt

iRobot [IRBT] is developing a new multimission modular robot called Warrior that can pull more of its weight in the soldier’s world and is expected to be ready in 2008.

Helen Greiner, iRobot co-founder and chairman of the board, said Warrior can relieve soldiers of much of their burden–such as packs–because they are so rugged.

“If you really think abut it, it’s not just a tool soldiers use, but a member of the squad,” Greiner said in a recent interview with Defense Daily. “It can take on some of the dirty and dangerous missions soldiers currently perform.”

Warrior is the next generation beyond the small, lightweight iRobot PackBot, thousands of which now serve in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. PackBot can be tossed into a window to look around, but a Warrior system could carry in a PackBot.

“It’s actually the largest platform that can still serve urban warfare because we sized it so it can climb stairs, turn around on a platform, go into buildings…this is when you want to work both indoor and outdoor operation,” Greiner said. “We’re very excited about it.”

The Defense Department’s Technical Support Working Group is partially funding development for Warrior, which is expected to be on sale early in 2008.

The Warrior can carry more than 150 pounds of payload, negotiate rough terrain and climb stairs with heavy loads. Designed for iRobot’s unique next generation Aware 2.0 robot intelligence system, the robot also features hardened electronics, and a modular approach to communications that allows the use of any Ethernet radio. Warrior can be deployed from a non-specialized vehicle. Maintenance is three tiered: at the field, sustainment and depot levels.

“We see robots in general in[volved in] logistics,” Greiner said. They could be used in supply and resupply, weapons loading, moving and bringing equipment to soldiers, while keeping soldiers from exposure to danger.

“One of the other things we’re interested in is extraction–medical extraction–going out into the field, and having a payload that picks people up very safely and securely– that’s the key,” she said.

A number of payloads are in discussions for Warrior, to include machine guns, she said.

“We’ve been seeing a lot of interest from various communities,” Greiner said. “It’s a product [Warrior] that will be available to early adopters early next year and low rate initial production will follow later in the year.”

Joseph Dyer, president, iRobot Government & Industrial Robots Div., said, “We’re having a number of discussions with government laboratories who are looking for a fast powerful robot platform for systems that they’re developing.”