Roomba-maker iRobot made its first-ever acquisition Monday in a deal for Nekton Research, which is developing underwater robots for the military.

Terms of the deal call for iRobot to pay $10 million for Nekton upfront and up to $5 million more if business and financial milestones are met.

iRobot, the No. 1 robotics company, sells a mix of consumer products, like the Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner, and military gear, like the Warrior x700, which can go on patrol, fight fires and dispose of explosives.

Alex Hamilton, an analyst with New York City-based Jesup & Lamont Securities, said that the acquisition is likely to speed up iRobot’s entry into the underwater market by 12 to 18 months.

In early afternoon trading, share of iRobot tacked on $.19, or 1.4 percent, to $14.29.

iRobot said the acquisition, which is expected to close Friday, would add $6 million to $8 million in product and contract revenue, but trim $.02 from 2008 earnings per share and $.02 to $.03 from 2009 earnings per share as iRobot investing in launching commercial products from Nekton prototypes.

In June, iRobot dipped into undersea robotics by licensing technology from the University of Washington for its autonomous underwater vehicle Seaglider, used by academics and military personnel to make oceanographic measurements.

In a statement, Helen Greiner, chairwoman of iRobot, called the underwater market “the next frontier for robots.” Joe Dyer, president of iRobot’s government and industrial robots unit, said the Nekton Ranger would complement the Seaglider.

The deal calls for Rick Vosburgh, Nekton's chief executive, to serve as executive director of iRobot’s new maritime systems subsidiary based at Nekton’s headquarters in Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

iRobot, based in Bedford, Massachusetts, has managed to grow its revenue, but profits remain elusive. In the quarter ended June 28, the company posted a 42.9 percent year-over-year increase in revenue to $67.2 million, but a net loss of $4.5 million, only slightly smaller than the $4.8 million lost in the 2007 period.

Mr. Hamilton noted that the consumer business, now facing the threat of a recession, accounts for about 60 percent of sales. On the military side, he added, research and development costs could reach a hefty 20 percent of sales.

“You’re putting food on the table before you buy a Roomba,” he said.