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posted by martyb on Thursday January 23 2020, @09:05PM   Printer-friendly
from the power-lifter dept.

Sarcos offers fully mobile, insanely strong industrial exoskeletons:

The most interesting thing we saw at the Consumer Electronics Show this year was the back side of Delta Airlines' exhibit, where some Sarcos Robotics folks were putting the Guardian XO—a powered industrial exoskeleton—through its paces, and the adventurous (and patient) could wait for half an hour or so in line to operate one disembodied arm of the Guardian attached to a 50-pound suitcase.

[...] The suits aren't just designed to be incredibly strong—they're also designed for long-term, ergonomically correct operation that won't destroy backs and knees the way a career in the military or heavy industry tends to.

[...] With such an exoskeleton, one worker might lift a 100- or 200-pound length of steel up to head height, while another does a tack weld on the underside. Or an exoskeleton-equipped worker might lift a pair of 70-pound pipe segments and carefully thread the bolts from one flange into the bolt holes in the next. More importantly, skilled workers should be able to do this kind of heavy work for entire 40-year careers—instead of retiring with blown-out backs and knees after 20 years or less.

[...] The XO is entirely battery-powered, with no tether to limit the range or motion of the operator, who can walk forward, backward, or even sideways while operating the device. It's quiet, too—in sharp contrast to the Boston Dynamics LS3 robotic pack mule, which can reportedly be heard coming a mile away.


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  • (Score: 2) by ikanreed on Thursday January 23 2020, @09:45PM (1 child)

    by ikanreed (3164) Subscriber Badge on Thursday January 23 2020, @09:45PM (#947627) Journal

    Construction sites are certainly plausible though. Deep down, I bet this first gen model doesn't do well with getting muddy, though.

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  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @10:00PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday January 23 2020, @10:00PM (#947636)

    That depends on the stage of construction. Placing machinery or switch-gear in a mostly-finished building would usually be a clean environment and there often isn't enough room for a crane or forklift to work.