iRobot shows off PackBot 510 with FasTac Kit before delivery to the Army

As Danger Room reports, iRobot's currently working hard to churn out the bots that'll form the so-called "robot surge" the Army has planned, but the company did recently take the time to show off the robot at the center of it all, an updated version of its standard PackBot dubbed the "PackBot 510 with FasTac Kit." This one's apparently smaller and lighter than the company's other battle-tested bots and, as you can see above, it's capable of performing some fairly impressive contortions (more pics are available at the read link below). That light weight and agility apparently make the bot ideal for infantry use, with it also able to identify roadside bombs and other IEDs and dispose of them accordingly. Still no home version though, although we're suppose a similar iRobot Create mod isn't entirely out of the question for the particularly skilled bot-builders out there.

[Photo courtesy of Danger Room]

[k @ Jan 4th 2008 8:07PM]

no more oil for oil!

[Beamey @ Jan 4th 2008 5:29PM]

This story won't be so great when these same robots are planting IEDs and patroling our cities. Maybe one someone can send a Sony ASIMO robot back in time to stop these things

[Jeremiah Zachary Hoffman @ Jan 5th 2008 12:37AM]

honda asimo

[Jerome @ Jan 4th 2008 5:43PM]

I would pay 150$ to get a remote control toy like the packbot!

[Charlie Calhoun @ Jan 4th 2008 7:10PM]

the "r" in your "robot surge" link isn't linked.

[onetruebill @ Jan 4th 2008 8:55PM]

I want one of these.
I will teach it to hunt for and attack IPHONES...
hahahahahahhahahahhaha! (evil laugh)