ONR Contracts With Sarcos Defense for Remote Control Variant Exosuit

This was a really neat find I read on my feed. Office of Naval research has contracted with Sarcos robotics to develop a remote control variant to an existing robotic exosuit . it kind of seems like they mean that the operator does not actually have to be in the suit itself but can continue to achieve the effectiveness of human reflexes and precision. I have personally been hesitant of the idea of jumping into something like this out of fear of some malfunction just snapping my limbs or back. Of course I doubt i will ever even personally have access to such a piece of equipment so i suppose it is kind of a moot point. I think it looks nice though !

Sarcos Defense, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sarcos Robotics, today announced that the company has been awarded a contract by the Office of Naval Research to develop a remote-controlled variant of the upper-body of the innovative Sarcos Guardian XO wearable exoskeleton robot.

Nathan Gain 13 Oct 2020

Sarcos press release

The new, platform-agnostic, upper-body variant will be adapted to attach to a variety of mobile bases, such as wheeled or tracked vehicles that can operate at height. These include boom lifts, scissor lifts, and bucket trucks to address maintenance and logistics needs. Leveraging more than 30 years of technology development from prosthetic arms and humanoid robots to powered, full-body exoskeletons, the Guardian DX defense robot variant and the Guardian XT commercial robot variant will provide unparalleled strength, dexterity, precision, and versatility at human scale, enabling the robot to perform difficult tasks in dangerous environments while keeping the operator safe and out of harm’s way.

“Similar to our teleoperated Guardian GT robot for heavy, dexterous work, but designed at human scale, the Guardian DX robot can be teleoperated to perform intricate tasks that require human-like dexterity,” said Ben Wolff, chairman and CEO, Sarcos Robotics. “Examples of such tasks include the use of portable sensors for non-destructive structural testing and inspections, the use of portable power tools for grinding, cutting and welding at height, as well as lifting and manipulating heavy components weighing up to 200 lbs. Because the Guardian DX robot is kinematically equivalent to the upper body of humans, operators are able to manage the Guardian DX robot intuitively at typical human speeds by relying on their reflexes, instincts, and judgment to perform complex tasks in unstructured, often hazardous environments that historically have only been able to be completed by people directly.”

The Guardian XT commercial robot version is expected to begin shipping to industrial customers in late 2021.

This was the most recent video I could find on the equipment itself, but it kind of looks like a green screen CG production rather than real world application. Maybe im wrong and its just a a vividly enhanced video.

a reply to: worldstarcountry

Being sarcostic, eh?

Well, if he wants to work in the parcel environment like the video, he's gotta work a bit quicker as Amazon workers have to pick 1000 items an hour.
As for any military application quickness is the name of the game. When he can move quicker than John Wick then I'd give him a try.
Now that's sarcastic.

They already have a superior exo suit for women that can lift 200 pounds - it's called, men - if it took anyone at tire shop that long to move anything they would be gone gone.

Unless this thing is used to tear bad guys in half in front of there accomplices, I don't understand the point.

a reply to: circuitsports

I'm thinking for the safe handling of dangerous materials like hazardous compounds maybe volatiles as well as explosives. This new contract though is for being able to utilize the device without a person actually inside the equipment.
Like the person is hooked up somewhere else, but the machine is responding remotely with his exact actions.