ReconRobotics, a developer and provider of micro-robotics systems used by the Army and Marine Corps and law enforcement agencies, has acquired the systems engineering firm Xollai, LLC, boosting its capabilities in robotics technology and giving it an entrée into the unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) market.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
For ReconRobotics, the company was particularly interested in three areas of Xollai’s expertise.
“This strategic acquisition will give us access to technologies that solve unmet needs in our current markets, as well as entirely new solutions in advanced manufacturing, image processing and unmanned aerial systems,” Alan Bignall, president and CEO of ReconRobotics, said in a statement.
A ReconRobotics spokesman told Defense Daily that the company will strive to bring Xollai’s systems to market.
Xollai, which has 9 employees and is based in Minnesota as is ReconRobotics, has developed the very lightweight xOARS automated landing system for UAS that can service as either a primary or secondary terminal guidance system. It’s this technology that moves ReconRobotics into the UAS market.
ReconRobotics has developed and produced the Throwbot family of micro-robots and has sold over 3,500 of the units and related accessories to its customers. The 1.2-pound ground-based systems are typically hand-tossed, although the company says they can even be dropped by a UAS, and then remotely controlled by a hand-held operator unit.
Last month the Marine Corps awarded ReconRobotics a $1.7 million contract for 126 Recon Scout XT robots to be used at the fire-team level. The award was the second largest by the service in the company’s history. In February the Army awarded the company $13.9 million for the Recon Scout XTs, the company’s largest order ever.
Over 2,000 of Recon’s Throwbots are being used by the U.S. military in Afghanistan.
About 400 SWAT teams use the Throwbot system and ReconRobotics has distributors in 33 countries selling its micro-robots.
With the acquisition ReconRobotics has 54 employees.