Danvers-based CyPhy Works, the maker of flying robots, has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force to build emergency robots to help improve military search and rescue operations. The company joins 19 other sensor and robotics companies across the country that will receive part of the $49.5-billion multi-year agreement awarded on behalf of the military’s Joint IED Defeat Organization.
CyPhy Works, led by iRobot Founder Helen Greiner, currently builds robots that are able to fly into dangerous areas and buildings that would otherwise be too hazardous for humans to enter. The new contract will fund the testing of a pocket-sized robot, dubbed the “Extreme Access Pocket Flyer,” to assist emergency response teams in civil and military situations, such as diffusing explosives in pipes.
Using a small camera on the robot, the Extreme Access Pocket Flyer would allow military personnel to no longer have to leave the protection of their armored vehicle in order to inspect a suspicious area, and they would be able to do it in a shorter amount of time.
“Just like a camera, the best drone is the one you have with you,” CyPhy Works CEO and iRobot Co-founder Helen Greiner said in a statement. “The market potential is one for every soldier, marine, police officer, swat team member and many other jobs that expose people to danger.”
iRobot specializes in building military robots such as the 110 FirstLook, which provides its users with an initial scan of an area, allowing them to gauge the danger of a given situation from a safe and secure vantage point.
Cyphy Works most recently raised $7 million in funding last November.
Images via CyPhy Works
