iRobot and The Photonics Center at Boston University have introduced a tactical sensory system payload prototype, dubbed REDOWL, for the combat-proven iRobot PackBot robot. REDOWL, or Robot Enhanced Detection Outpost with Lasers, can detect and locate snipers and mortars on the very first shot fired at personnel or vehicles. The REDOWL equipped PackBot has been field-tested for the Army's Rapid Equipping Force at a rifle and trapshooting range. Of the more than 150 rounds fired from 9 mm pistols, M-16 and AK-47 rifles from over 100 meters, the REDOWL system located the source of the gunfire successfully 94 percent of the time. The iRobot PackBot is a Tactical Mobile Robot that can be hand-carried and deployed by a single soldier. "Snipers have had the advantage of being effectively invisible -- making them a deadly threat on the battlefield and in urban settings," said Vice Admiral Joe Dyer (U.S. Navy, Ret.), executive vice president and general manager, iRobot Government & Industrial Robots. "REDOWL is a mobile system, which means snipers can run but they cannot hide anymore."