Navy more than doubles Talon order to $150 million

Above: The Talon explosive ordnance disposal robot. The remote-controlled Talon has several "eyes" as cameras to enable the operator to disarm an explosive from a control panel in the EOD vehicle. The robot is dextrous enough to dismantle the firing device in bombs.

Foster-Miller Inc. of Waltham said one of its military contract for building Talon robots designed to neutralize roadside bomb threats in Iraq and Afghanistan has been more than doubled.

Foster-Miller, an engineering, manufacturing, and technology development firm, said the contract administered by the Naval Air Warfare Training Systems Division has been increased from $63.9 million to $150 million to accommodate the purchase of additional robots and replacement parts.

The company noted that war zone "Robot Hospitals" are repairing more than 400 bomb-damaged robots a week to put them back into service.

Read the rest at the Boston Globe

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