iRobot to develop ‘ChemBot’ for military

June 18, 2008 | Source: CNET News

iRobot has been awarded a multimillion-dollar R&D contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the U.S. Army Research Office for a new type of soft, flexible “ChemBot” robot for the military.

The Chembot will be a soft, flexible, mobile robot that is “soft enough to squeeze or traverse through small openings, yet large enough to carry an operationally meaningful payload,” according to DARPA’s request. The robot will also need to change in size and shape to fit a given situation’s needs.