August 9, 2007 1:35 PM PDT
Sleek robotic aircraft may have been the scene-stealers at this year's Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) show, but land vehicles are also playing an important role in military operations. This ruggedized PackBot, made by iRobot, is one of about 5,000 robots currently deployed, according to Gene Williams of the U.S. Army's Robotic Systems Joint Program Office. Or at least it used to be. If this one, on display at the Army office's booth, looks a bit banged-up, there's good reason: it had a run-in with an IED (improvised explosive device) in Iraq about two weeks ago. "We're glad it did," Williams said, since it just as easily could have been a soldier.
Photo by Anne Broache/CNET News.com
