Production planned for rugged robot truck.

• Author: Williams, Robert H.
• Position: Tech Talk - Brief Article

John Deere's M-Gator, a light utility truck that has gained popularity among U.S. military troops in recent conflicts, now also comes in a robotic version.

The Robotic Gator or R-Gator relies on the technology used in the PackBot robot made by iRobot, a system widely used by U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

John Deere and iRobot said production is scheduled to start this year, explaining the vehicle has been designed to perform on and off-road reconnaissance. It can relay a variety of sensor readings in real-time, from hostile areas. The...