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By Ken Schachter
iRobot Corp., the maker of robots that do everything from scrub a floor to dispose of bombs, is coming to Long Island in search of parts suppliers, a Long Island Forum for Technology executive said.
LIFT President C. Kenneth Morrelly said his meetings with iRobot executives at a homeland security event in Atlanta and at the company's offices in suburban Boston had led to the planned excursion by executives to Long Island early next month.
We're going to try to get them to manufacture some of their [parts] on Long Island, he said. In general, there's a role for Long Island suppliers to provide parts and subsystems.
At the same time, Morrelly said, iRobot executives will meet with first responders to discuss potential homeland security applications for the company's robots.
Burlington, Mass.-based iRobot, which had an IPO Wednseday worth up to $99 million, makes the Roomba, a popular floor-vacuuming robot as well as military Packbots deployed with U.S. troops in Iraq.
iRobot's military devices are being incorporated into the Army's more than $100 billion Future Combat Systems program, designed to create a networked combat force in which sensors, unmanned air and ground vehicles will be linked to artillery, heavy vehicles and foot soldiers.
Also working on the FCS are BAE Systems' units in Greenlawn and Wayne, N.J. BAE has a $357 million contract to design communications capabilities that would be integrated into the 18 platform types envisioned in FCS, said William Campbell, a retired lieutenant general and vice president for BAE Systems' communication, navigation, identification and reconnaissance unit.
Also attending a meeting of FCS contractors Nov. 7 at the Melville Marriott was Rep. Steve Israel, D-Huntington, a member of the House Armed Services Committee.
Israel warned that the Bush administration's plan to cut taxes will make it extremely difficult to boost spending on defense.
Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have only reaffirmed the need for a combat force that is even more agile, deployable, lethal and survivable, Israel said via an e-mail message through a spokesman. Using the latest technologies, FCS would arm our soldiers with superior information and battlefield situational awareness.
