US-based Sarcos Robotics is developing the Guardian XO robot, an all-electric, battery-powered, full-body industrial exoskeleton robotic system that enhances human productivity while keeping workers safe from strain or injury.
The Guardian XO robot enables workers to perform hours of physical activity, including repetitively lifting and manipulating heavy or awkward objects that would otherwise be impossible for a single human to perform.
According to Sarcos, the Guardian XO robot is capable of repeatedly lifting and manipulating up to 90 kg without fatigue or strain for up to an eight-hour work session on one charge. The exoskeleton requires ~400 watts of power while walking at human speed, and its battery modules can be hot swapped in the field within seconds without loss of power to the unit.
The Guardian XO robot does not add weight or inertia (metabolic drag) like unpowered exoskeleton technology; rather it supplies the energy to handle itself (energetically autonomous). The robot offloads 100% of the weight the worker is bearing through the suit’s structure to the ground, reducing the operator’s metabolic output and the chance of strain or injury. The operator bears none of the weight of the exoskeleton or its payload, and it can be donned and doffed in under one minute. It also requires minimal operator training because it permits natural, fluid and intuitive movement.
The Guardian XO is equipped with scaled dexterous end effectors and force feedback features so that an operator can easily perform highly precise tasks with heavy tools or components. It contains built-in software controls that manage what should and shouldn’t be done in the suit, preventing workers from performing tasks that would not be good for a person to do even with the additional weight bearing capabilities of the suit. Sarcos expects to begin shipping the Guardian XO to customers in early 2020.