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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: 4, Insightful) by The Mighty Buzzard on Thursday January 23 2020, @10:10PM

    by The Mighty Buzzard (18) Subscriber Badge <themightybuzzard@proton.me> on Thursday January 23 2020, @10:10PM (#947640) Homepage Journal

    We're at the point right now where you're mostly correct. That will not, however, continue to be the case as employers start seeing the potential in not having to lay everything out so a forklift, crane, or other bit of machinery can be accommodated. There's a hell of a lot of value to be had in versatility of a much smaller size, greater mobility, and the adaptability of the human mind.

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