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Matthew writes: iRobot, makers of the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner, as well as military pack robots, has developed a military version of the popular device.

Dubbed “Boomba”, the device is essentially a ruggedized Roomba that is designed to clear minefields. Replacing the “small, medium, and large” buttons are similar “Checkpoint, Roadside, Intersection” buttons, along with a “Convoy” mode that clears a path going forward at a walking pace.

“We have big hopes for Boomba,” says iRobot CEO Colin Angle, “With the way the world is going and the fact that Boomba is, for all intents and purposes, a single use device, Boomba could easily outsell Roomba.”

Boomba also supports iRobot’s new swarm mode, utilizing the SwarmOS operating system, to clear a minefield in a matter of minutes, as well as scare the bejesus out of anyone who sees them coming. “There is an effective psychological warfare component to swarm mode,” says Mr. Angle, “I’ve saw it in prototype two weeks ago, and I still can’t sleep.”