iRobot yesterday signed a $32 million Army contract to develop a follow-on to its PackBot reconnaissance robot: a next-generation robot designated by the Army as the Small Unmanned Ground Vehicle (SUGV) that’s lighter and has longer battery life.

The robots will be part of the Pentagon’s effort to transform the military to a leaner, more high-tech force able to respond swiftly to low-intensity and unconventional threats, using manned, unmanned, and robotic weapons networked together to communicate in real time with one another and with other US military and allied forces.