Greg Galitzine : Robotics
Greg Galitzine

April 2011

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iRobot Announces Lightweight Throwable Robot

April 5, 2011


Bedford, MA-based iRobot has announced a pre-production prototype of an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV), the iRobot 110 FirstLook.

Designed to assist its operator with observation and investigation of confined spaces, the rugged “throwable” robot features four built-in cameras, two-way audio communication, and digital mesh networking capabilities, which would allow multiple units to relay radio communications signals. The 110 FirstLook is designed to withstand up to 15-foot drops onto concrete and is waterproof to three feet.

Weighing in at less than five pounds the robot can climb steps, overcome obstacles, turn in place and can right itself if it gets flipped over.


Senator Pumps STEM Education Grant Program

April 5, 2011

With the goal of increasing the number of students graduating universities with degrees in engineering, a United States senator has proposed an initiative designed to increase US high school students’ access to advanced math and science courses.                    

Democratic senator Jeanne Shaheen, of New Hampshire, speaking at an event in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, reintroduced the Innovation Inspiration School Grant Program, a plan to expose US high school students to a curriculum more weighted with science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses, which she calls essential starting points for greater opportunity and better paying jobs in the future.

“Science, technology, engineering and math are the skills that drive innovation, and the next generation of American workers must be proficient in these skills for the U.S.