iRobot UGVs selected by Progress Energy

3rd April 2012 - 15:19 GMT | by The Shephard News Team

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iRobot has announced that three of its unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have been selected by Progress Energy for use at the Robinson Nuclear Plant. The iRobot 710 Warrior and two iRobot 510 PackBot robots will be used to Support US Nuclear Power Plant Operations.

Progress Energy purchased the UGVs due to the systems’ ability to mitigate risk by keeping personnel out of radioactive environments and serve as a cost-effective way to perform operations.

The 710 Warrior, a powerful and rugged robot, carries payloads weighing more than 150 pounds and lifts up to 220 pounds. Modular, adaptable and expandable, PackBot 510 is a tactical mobile robot that performs multiple missions while keeping the operator out of harm’s way.

iRobot said the sales build on the vital nuclear emergency work Warrior and PackBot also continue to play at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. After last year’s earthquake and tsunami, iRobot sent two Warrior and two PackBot robots to the country and provided operator training. Since then, the robots have been used on a regular basis to remove debris and measure radiation levels at the plant.