2026-06-26 –, Prime Dome
Remotely operated vehicles are increasingly integral to modern operations, with bomb disposal robots serving as some of the earliest pioneers of robotics. This presentation provides a deep technical analysis into the architecture and 25-year evolution of iRobot’s PackBot. Originally developed by iRobot, creators of the Roomba vacuum, the PackBot saw extensive use while keeping operators safe. However, beneath its ruggedized exterior lies an ecosystem built on legacy open-source software, and commercial off-the-shelf hardware.
Despite two decades of iterative hardware improvements, the PackBot’s software stack has remained largely static, running on legacy distributions of Linux and relying heavily on Python 2.5 for core functionality in its second-generation and later models. Attendees will be taken through a comprehensive hardware teardown and introduction to my PackBot. We will map the system across the Operator Control Unit (OCU), the radio links, and the robot itself. Finally, we will detail the reverse-engineering process used to gain access to each component, analyze the control protocols, and demonstrate how a hacker can customize and make a PackBot into something new.
My PackBot, Boomba, will also be present at the talk and be available the entire week for autographs or to pass the butter.
To my knowledge, this research represents the first time a widely deployed Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) robot has been publicly reverse-engineered. Historically, offensive research into tactical robotics is shrouded in security-by-obscurity, restricted by classification, or kept behind closed doors. The primary novelty of this work lies in demystifying a battlefield 'black box.' It diverges from the industry assumption that high-stakes robotic systems rely on bespoke, highly secure architectures. Instead, I reveal that beneath its ruggedized exterior, the PackBot is built on accessible and easily understood technology, specifically, 802.11 hardware, Intel architecture, Linux and legacy Python. ToorCamp will be the first time I am discussing this research publicly
Patrick Kiley is a Security Consultant doing embedded security testing and has over 20 years of information security experience. Patrick has performed research in avionics security, vehicles, and even managed to brick his Tesla making it go faster. Patrick has a patent on a hardware security access tool and loves tearing things apart while figuring out how they work.
Emily Astranova is a Security Consultant doing physical security testing, covert entry, network security, and social engineering. Emily has intentionally compromised US power grid systems, unintentionally compromised data centers, and has somehow managed to keep her record to only one run-in with the FBI. In her spare time, Emily volunteers as a software and cybersecurity mentor for high school students as a part of FIRST Robotics.