Sleek robotic aircraft may have been the scene-stealers at this year's Association for Unmanned Vehicles 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've been a (human) soldier.
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