U.S. Marine Corps signs $10 million contract for "throwable" robots
NewsMay 07, 2018
CHELMSFORD, Mass. Endeavor Robotics -- a developer and manufacturer of small, lightweight unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) -- has signed a contract worth $10 million with the U.S. Marine Corps to provide the Marines with its small, throwable FirstLook robots.
According to information from Endeavor Robotics, its five-pound FirstLook UGV can be dropped roughly 20 feet onto concrete without being damaged; the small vehicle is often used to clear buildings, detect IEDs, and is a valid option for getting into confined spaces like caves, tunnels, and crawl spaces. Day/night cameras and two-way audio allow the FirstLook to give the operator greater standoff distance from a potential threat. In addition, the FirstLook UGV can climb over seven-inch obstacles and automatically right itself when flipped over.
FirstLooks delivered to the Marines will come equipped with Endeavor Robotics’ uPoint® Multi-Robot Control System. uPoint’s interoperable technology, featuring a common tablet-based controller the Marines also use for the SUGV, sharply lowers operator training time. This most recent award for a large number of FirstLooks for the USMC is in addition to two contracts Endeavor recently signed with the Marines to supply more than $24 million in backpackable SUGV robots.
