Edina-Based ReconRobotics, Inc. Wins 2008 Innovation Award At The International Association of Chiefs of Police Annual Conference

Company’s Recon Scout™ Robot Was Initially Developed At the University of Minnesota

EDINA, Minn. – ReconRobotics, Inc. today announced that it has been awarded the 2008 Innovation Award from Cygnus Law Enforcement Group, publisher of Law Enforcement Technology magazine. The Award recognizes the company’s Recon ScoutTM tactical reconnaissance robot, which is used by police and military personnel to get inside information about dangerous or hostile environments. The Award was presented to Aimee Barmore, the western regional sales executive for ReconRobotics, at the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in San Diego on November 9. More than 180 new police technologies were entered in the 2008 competition. ReconRobotics won in the Tactical Category, which includes new products that are primarily used by police tactical and SWAT teams.

The Recon Scout is the only miniature reconnaissance robot in the world that is both throwable and mobile. SWAT personnel throw the Recon Scout through a window or doorway, or over a wall, then use the handheld Operator Control Unit (OCU) to move the robot through the dark environment. More than 100 police, security and military agencies worldwide use the Recon Scout for tactical reconnaissance in high-risk operations involving barricaded suspects, hostage rescues, room-clearing missions and narcotics raids. The video that the robot transmits helps SWAT teams determine the location and number of suspects, the layout of rooms, and the number and locations of hostages. Armed with this information, tactical teams can mitigate risks to their personnel and to hostages. Among the police departments currently using the Recon Scout or Recon Scout IR are the police tactical teams in Bloomington, Burnsville and Plymouth, Minn.

The technology behind the Recon Scout was initially developed at the University of Minnesota Distributed Robotics Laboratory in Minneapolis, Minn., through grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). ReconRobotics, Inc. was formed in 2006 to commercialize this technology. In October 2008 the company introduced the Recon Scout IR, which is the same size as the standard model but also carries infrared optical systems capable of seeing in complete darkness.

About The Recon Scout

• Small: Its small size – just 7.4 inches and 1.2 lbs total weight – allows it to be carried in a pocket, on a vest or in a non-shooting hand for immediate access.
• Stealthy: A matte black finish that makes it extremely difficult to see, and it operates at a maximum of 20 decibels – far quieter than a whisper.
• Simple: To activate the Recon Scout, simply pull the pin, throw it into the environment and turn on the hand-held Operator Control Unit. On the IR model infrared optical systems automatically turn on when the ambient light is low.
• Durable: Constructed with a titanium shell, the Recon Scout can survive a horizontal throw of 120 feet and a vertical drop of 30 feet, and immediately transmit live video.
• Perceptive: Its black-and-white image sensor has a 60-degree field of view on both the horizontal and vertical axis, and it can transmit a 360-degree scan of a room in less than five seconds.
• Powerful: The Recon Scout can transmit live video 300 feet outdoors, and 100 feet indoors – through walls, doors and windows.
• Intuitive: The handheld OCU weighs just 1.7 lbs and has a 3.5-inch backlit video screen. Users easily control the movement of the Recon Scout robot using a thumb-controlled joystick on the front of the OCU.

About ReconRobotics, Inc.
ReconRobotics is a leader and innovator in ultra-light tactical, micro-robot and UGV systems. Over 5,000 of the company’s Recon Scout® and Throwbot® systems have been deployed by the U.S. military, first responders and international friendly forces, and by more than 900 law enforcement agencies, worldwide. These systems save lives by providing immediate situational awareness and greater standoff distance to warfighters and law enforcement personnel during high-risk operations. ReconRobotics is based in Edina, Minnesota, and markets its products through a distribution network in 35 countries.