SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY : Odetics Employees to Buy 120,000 Shares of Company Stock This Year

Odetics Inc., an Anaheim technology company, said its employees’ stock ownership plan will purchase 120,000 shares of the company’s stock on the open market and in private transactions during its current fiscal year ending March 31, 1990.

Odetics is a manufacturer of automated videotape machines for the broadcast industry, tape recorders for spaceflight and robotic equipment.

In a separate announcement, Odetics said it has shipped a robotic “mechanical arm” to the U.S. Army Human Engineering Laboratory in Maryland for testing. The Army will test the Odetics robot for use in unloading supplies, fueling and servicing vehicles, disposing of explosives, loading ammunition and fighting fires.

The 350-pound device consists of an arm, turret, motors and electronic actuators. It is capable of lifting more than 300 pounds. Eventually, the Army plans to mount the 350-pound robotic device on an eight-wheeled vehicle.

“The manipulator’s greatest advantage is that it provides the strength, speed and accuracy of a stationary device, yet it can be easily transported,” said Jim Sullivan, an Odetics program manager. “This will enable it to function in a variety of dangerous environments.”