Video: Killer iRobot Wipes Out a Whole Field at Once

By: Noah Shachtman

Over the spring, iRobot co-founder Colin Angle stopped by Wired’s New York offices to talk about the new machines he had planned for the Pentagon. They would not be lethally armed, he assured us, because “the military is not particularly interested in weaponized robots.” Despite years of development, the brass still had too many concerns about the safety of the technology — and about the perceptions of a killer ‘bot. iRobot might try to put less-lethal arms on some of its machines, he added. But deadly robots? No way.

Now, a few months later, iRobot has released this video, featuring one of its 710 Warrior machines triggering a very large (and potentially, very deadly) explosion. Its the APOBS (Anti-Personnel Obstacle Breaching System), a rocket-fired system, designed to clear mine fields 45 square meters at a time. The rocket carries a set of grenades, which then detonate all together, taking with them the mines — and whatever else happens to be in the way. APOBS isn’t meant to kill people. But obviously, it could produce a deadly result.

iRobot has tested out other killer robots before. And this Warrior isn’t the first machine to try out the mine-clearing, explosion-making APOBS system. The Marine Corps’ lethal Gladiator ‘bot was designed to use the APOBS — and many, many more weapons. But the Gladiator never made it to the battlefield, due in part to safety and public perception fears.

See Also:

• Meet iRobot's 'Adorable Killing Machines'
• Video: iRobot Rolls Out One-Pound Machine, Ready to Swarm
• Robot + Super Gun = 'Crowd Control'
• Roomba-Maker Unveils Kill-Bot
• Video: Pentagon Blob-Bot Changes Shape, Lurches Ahead
• The Strange Case of the Army's Robot Thief