iRobot Corporation (IRBT): Should It Be Worried?

Though the $17 billion Northrop claims to now have over 2,000 total UGVs — including its CUTLASS, Andros, Wheelbarrow, and Caliber bots in operation around the world — the $680 million iRobot boasts a huge head start over its massive rival with more than 5,000 total UGV’s delivered as of last year, including more than 3,500 PackBots alone currently in operation by military and civil defense forces worldwide.

And while PackBot doesn’t have six individual wheels, navigation certainly hasn’t been an issue; its tank-like treads allow it to easily climb obstacles like stairs, and it can achieve a top speed of 5.8 mph, not significantly slower than the 7.2 mph of the CUTLASS.

Care to pick on someone your own size?
At less than 30 pounds, it’s no wonder PackBot is so popular given its light weight and ease of mobility. Still, you definitely won’t see it picking up 55 pound packages with its arm fully extended as the CUTLASS can. With that in mind, the CUTLASS also tips the scales at around 420 kg, or nearly 926 pounds.

Enter iRobot’s larger Warrior UGV:

Image Source: iRobot

As it turns out, even though iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ:IRBT)’s big boy weighs just 500 pounds — a little more than half the weight of a CUTLASS bot — the Warrior can actually lift a heavier 70-pound load with its arm fully extended, and can muscle up a 300-pound package at close range. The Warrior also has a faster top speed at 8 mph.

Even more impressive, the Warrior’s two-part, treaded design actually allows the huge robot to right itself should it accidentally flip on steep terrain — something you certainly won’t see the CUTLASS doing.

Foolish final thoughts
In the end, while iRobot Corporation (NASDAQ:IRBT) would definitely be foolish (with a lower-case “f”) to ignore competition from the likes of Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC), it still looks like the tiny company’s unmanned bomb-disposal bots don’t have all that much to worry about for the time being.

The article Should iRobot Be Worried About Northrup’s New Bot? originally appeared on Fool.com.

Motley Fool contributor Steve Symington owns shares of iRobot. The Motley Fool recommends iRobot. The Motley Fool owns shares of Northrop Grumman.

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