Blown Up iRobot PackBots Get Resurrected In Iraq
Because of the nature of their job, it’s normal for PackBots to get blown up every now and then. But thanks to a repair shop at Victory Base Complex in Baghdad, most of them don’t stay that way for long.
Techs at the Joint Robotics Repair Detachment (JRRD), who specialize in battlefield robot repair, see to it that the machines get back into action as soon as possible. Among their frequent wards are iRobot PackBots and Foster-Miller TALONs, both employed in bomb disposal missions.
The JRRD is renowned for their knack of getting the job done in no more than 4 hours. If, after evaluation, the techs find that the repair will take longer than that, they either pass the machine on to a larger facility or, if a unit is available, replace the broken unit with one in good condition.
Since the JRRD caters to all explosive ordnance units in Iraq, the folks there always have their hands full, servicing an average of 4 to 5 robots every day. This number is indicative of the severity of the improvised explosive device (IED) problem in Iraq. IEDs still remain the number one killer of US troops both in Iraq and Afghanistan.
You could just imagine how much more soldiers could have died without robots doing what they do.
The techs at JRRD realize how crucial their role is to the entire operation. If a robot doesn’t get back to its unit quickly, that unit may pay the price – and more often than not, the price is a soldier’s life, limb, or both.
The price of a battlefield robot can range from $60,000 to $100,000. Still, that’s nothing compared to the life of a human being.
One clear advantage of having robots fighting alongside soldiers in Iraq is that most of the machines can still be resurrected by the JRRD, so the $100,000 does not really go down the drain.
