Robotic FX (http://www.roboticfx.com) manufactures a tactical robot for military operations. It can be equipped for hazmat and EOD operations. The Negotiator and its bigger brother, the Negotiator 6X, are water resistant, can climb stairs, and weigh around 20lbs and 46lbs, respectively. Robotic FX has also recently won a $280 million USD contract with the US Army to ship 3,000 robots to the Middle East for Army operations. There's one slight problem though - iRobot is accusing Robotic FX of stealing designs for iRobot's PackBot system, and of patent infringement. Not only did Robotic FX's president, Jameel Ahed, formerly work at iRobot and access to technical information on the PackBot, but its hard to deny the amazing similarites between the two designs - especially manipulator arm and the patented front flipper design of the PackBot. According to Defense News (http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=3013545 C=america), Five days after iRobot sued a rival robot maker, U.S. Marshals on Aug. 22 seized paper shredders at the Fort Worth, Ill., offices and homes of two Robotic Fx employees suspected of destroying evidence, according to documents filed in state and federal court by iRobot officials. this Boston Globe article (http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2007/09/21/robotics_firm_says_rival_stole_designs/), iRobot's suit alleges that one day after his resignation [from iRobot in June 2002], Ahed used his still-active iRobot e-mail account to send confidential iRobot files to a Robotic FX address. Also, ... documents filed by iRobot say that on the evening of Aug. 17, Ahed, watched by private detectives from Kroll Inc. (http://boston.stockgroup.com/sn_overview.asp?symbol=KROL) hired by iRobot, emerged from the Robotic FX offices and loaded several boxes into the trunk of a white Saturn sedan belonging to [Kimberly] Hill, the company's chief operating officer. The next day, Ahed discarded the items in a dumpster in Chicago, not far from Hill's apartment. The suit also alleges that a court-ordered search of Hill's aparement revealed a laptop, owned by Ahed, concealed under her bed running an eraser program - unfortunately, the program had done its job before the police were able to locate it. All this said, I wonder if Robotic FX will have their hands full dealing with a major lawsuit and delivering 3,000 robots to the US Army. Looks like Robotic FX may need one heck of a negotiator to get out of this one. May justice be done. More info at Xconomy (http://www.xconomy.com/2007/09/21/hearing-in-irobot-v-robotic-fx-continued-until-monday-robot-delivery-deadline-looms/) and Robot Stock News (http://robotstocknews.blogspot.com/).