iRobot Gets a Grip
By
Jack Uldrich
February 9, 2007
|
Engadget.com, a website highlighting the latest and greatest high-tech toys, reported this morning that Motley Fool Rule Breakers recommendation iRobot (Nasdaq: IRBT) will soon be releasing a new and improved model of the PackBot. This robot has performed admirably in helping soldiers defuse bombs in Iraq.
A revamped PackBot is good news for investors, but further details should really grab their attention. According to the report, the new PackBot 510 will be 30% faster than the existing model and possess twice the gripping strength, which will allow it to drag and lift twice the weight of its predecessor.
Any way you slice it, that's an impressive amount of progress for a second-generation product. It's one of the reasons I remain bullish on iRobot as a long-term investment.
Combine these advances with the extraordinary strides being made in the fields of material science, electronic sensors, and computers in general, and it's not difficult to see that the PackBot 510, for all its improved capabilities, is just the tip of the iceberg.
Since I first rated iRobot "outperform" in my Motley Fool CAPS portfolio this past fall, it's been my biggest loser -- down almost 27% since October. I remain confident, however, that within a few years the tables will turn, placing iRobot among my biggest winners.
Disagree? Go ahead and rank iRobot "underperform" on the Motley Fool's community intelligence system today. While you're there, you can even sound off on why you think iRobot is the wave of the future -- or destined for the scrap heap.
Further Foolishness for fleshy hu-mans:
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Fool contributor Jack Uldrich wishes he were 30% faster and twice as strong. He owns stock in iRobot. The Fool has a strict disclosure policy.
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