Army: "The Robotic FX contract is no longer in existence"

A bad weekend for Robotic FX could mean good things for iRobot. On Friday, the US Army canceled its $280 million order for up to 3,000 of Robotic FX's bomb-detecting robots. According to Joanne Byrd, the Army administrator overseeing the contract, "The Robotic FX contract is no longer in existence." Harsh, and a tad confusing if you accept the fundamental axiom that existence exists. She did cite "peripheral complications" as the reason without going into detail. Though we're pretty sure that iRobot's injunction against Robotic FX had something to do with it. The move opens the door to iRobot as the next-lowest, qualified bidder for the XBot contract. Great. Perhaps when everyone is done futzing about with their lawyers and lobbyists we might actually get a few bots deployed to protect the innocents?

[Via Xconomy, thanks Jonas]

[Flashpoint @ Dec 17th 2007 8:01AM]

insted of robots, America should develop cybernetic technology. I doubt our enemies would stand by their convictions if they faced an army of blood thirsty, bullet proof, cyborgs.

[NovaLand @ Dec 17th 2007 11:53AM]

They would go to New York and crash civil airplanes into skyscrapers instead...

[Ignatius @ Dec 17th 2007 8:08AM]

Or worse, it would strengthen their resolve seeing humanity mutated
in such a way that they would choose an ultimate solution... and toss
a few nukes at us.

[Jason Sweby @ Dec 17th 2007 8:16AM]

Isn't this just the Big-Trak toy from the 1980s?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Trak

[Ally @ Dec 17th 2007 8:44AM]

We need more photon beams!!!!!

[strider_mt2k @ Dec 17th 2007 9:02AM]

Protect the innocents?

Is THAT what they told you?

[Charlie Taylor @ Dec 17th 2007 10:56AM]

Considering that the first and still most prevalent use of these robots is to disassemble or remotely detonate roadside IEDs, which kill many civilians as well as soldiers, I'd say yes it does protect the innocent.

[myster0n @ Dec 17th 2007 9:37AM]

No disassemble ! Number 5 is alive !

[Simon @ Dec 17th 2007 10:32AM]

US soliders are innocent? Yeah, right, just as innocent as anyone who just follows orders. They kill civilians just like any other terrorist.

[TEM @ Dec 17th 2007 11:22AM]

Simon, now run along and let the grown ups talk. This isn't a video game. Leave your juvenile comments for WoW.

[John @ Dec 17th 2007 1:32PM]

Hey now! I play WoW. Dont lump me in with inane comments like that guy!

[TEM @ Dec 17th 2007 2:48PM]

Hehe, sorry about that John. If I had the time, and the requisite PC hardware, I would play WoW too.

[Dave @ Dec 17th 2007 1:43PM]

No.. Its as simple as "We can copy this, lets save 280 million dollars."
Patent or not, who ISSUES the patents, the government...

Therefore, anything you patent, they can copy. If you sue, what court handles the copyright suit? A FEDERAL court..

Think you stand a change? Think again.

- Dave.

[p-diddy @ Dec 17th 2007 11:13PM]

Dave, no offense, but do you have any idea what you are talking about? You know that the Armed Forces and the Judiciary are different branches, right (executive and judicial, respectively). You also realize the Patent Office is a "fourth arm" if you will of the federal government, namely an administrative agency, right? And Dave, I say this only for the few out there that don't know it - I know you're not one of them - that the government has never stepped in and taken a patent away because they "needed to," right?

-p-

[Dave @ Dec 24th 2007 4:34PM]

You've never seen what they did to Nikola Tesla... Hours after he died, they raided his lab and hotel room and took everything. All his papers and inventions. His body was barely cold and the government took posession of everything he'd been working on.

Classified as top secret and squirrled away to God knows where.

Anyway, what I'm saying is that the government works together when it needs to. If you invent something that becomes a matter of national security, they will take it from you. Seriously, look up Teslas story, and you'll no doubt find something that confirms what I've said.

If someone were to invent a "free-energy" type device or something that would free people from having to pay for electricity, you can bet that it wouldn't be theirs for long.

There has been a long history of these things happening, you just have to know where to look. A Mr. Tilley invented a sort of free energy device which he had turned into a generator and an electric car. The government, stormed his compound and siezed these devices and will not return them to him. Nor will they release any information about the devices. (Search: Tilley Electric Delorian)

-Dave.

[army ranger @ Dec 18th 2007 4:03PM]

As it advances the time, it also advances the technology; and all the efforts that become will be for protecting the life of the soldiers. In order to read more about this item, you must visit http://www.usarmyrangers.info/