Sarcos Robotics Begins Delivery of Guardian XO Full-Body, Force-Multiplying Industrial Exoskeleton Alpha Units

Today, Sarcos Robotics, a global leader in the production of robots that augment humans to enhance productivity and safety, has unveiled the Alpha version of its Guardian® XO® full-body, powered industrial exoskeleton. The Guardian XO is the world’s first battery-powered wearable robot that can safely lift up to 200 pounds for extended work sessions. Designed to augment rather than replace humans, the Guardian XO combines human intelligence, instinct and judgment with the strength, endurance, and precision of machines to address skilled labor shortages and occupational safety issues across many industries. Safe, intuitive, and simple to use, the Guardian XO empowers teams to safely do more, enabling more people, whether young or old, big or small, to accomplish physically demanding tasks without stress or strain on their bodies.

Guardian XO Full-body Battery-powered industrial exoskeletonThe first Guardian XO Alpha units will ship to members of Sarcos’ Industrial Exoskeleton Technical Advisory Group (X-TAG) and the U.S. military beginning in January 2020. Commercial production units of the Guardian XO will begin shipping to customers in late 2020. The Guardian XO has been under development for 20 years, with the initial vision and funding for the effort coming from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and additional funding over the years coming from the U.S. Department of Defense, leading Fortune 500 industrial companies and private investors.

“The Guardian XO is a great example of what can happen when private industry and government join forces with a small, innovative team to address a common challenge,” said Ben Wolff, chairman and CEO, Sarcos Robotics.

Sarcos’ X-TAG, which was assembled beginning in 2016 and announced in 2018, is comprised of leading companies across a variety of industries including industrial manufacturing, oil & gas, utilities, logistics, construction, automotive, aviation and aerospace. The X-TAG members have played an integral role in assisting with the functional design, as well as performance and safety requirements, to ensure that the Guardian XO meets the needs of a myriad of use cases across various industries.

“Full-body, powered exoskeletons have significant potential to transform the industrial workforce as we know it,” said Remy Glaisner, research director for intelligent operational systems and robotics, IDC. “From improving worker strength, efficiency, and safety to reducing occupational injuries caused by repetitive heavy lifting, the Guardian XO is poised to be a game-changer for a wide variety of industries.”

“The Guardian XO Alpha units are the culmination of twenty years of effort by our team and represent a huge step forward as we prepare to ship our first commercial Guardian XO wearable robots to our customers in the latter part of 2020,” said Wolff. “Delivery of our Alpha units represents the first time in history that industrial and military customers will gain access to a full-body, powered exoskeleton that can safely enable humans to intuitively lift and dexterously manipulate objects weighing up to 200 pounds and walk at human speed for extended work sessions. With the growing shortage of skilled labor across industries and the rising social and economic costs associated with occupational musculoskeletal injuries, we have an enormous opportunity to benefit employees and companies alike.”