Sarcos Robotics Conducts First Field Demonstrations of Guardian XT Robotic Avatar

Sarcos Corp. today announced that it has successfully conducted its first product demonstrations in the field using its Guardian XT dexterous mobile robot. The demonstrations of real-world use cases were held in both the U.S. South and Pacific Northwest, said the Salt Lake City, Utah-based company.

“These first successful product demonstrations to potential customers utilizing the Guardian XT industrial robotic avatar system in the field are a major achievement for Sarcos as we prepare for commercialization by the end of next year,” said Ben Wolff, chairman and CEO of Sarcos. “We look forward to continuing the dialogue with these initial partners and obtaining their feedback in order to deliver best-in-class robotics solutions that increase productivity while eliminating the need for their employees to operate in dangerous environments.”

The Guardian XT is the upper-body variant of the Sarcos Guardian XO full-body, battery-powered industrial exoskeleton. It is designed to perform intricate tasks requiring human-like dexterity, while eliminating the need for people to conduct dangerous, at-height work. Sarcos said the system is platform-agnostic and can be mounted to a variety of mobile bases to access hard-to-reach or elevated areas.

Sarcos shows use cases for Guardian XT

The Guardian XT has potential applications in industries including aerospace, automotive, defense, manufacturing, and maritime, said Sarcos.

Sarcos Robotics said it recently conducted live field demonstrations of the Guardian XT for a leading electric utility and construction services company. During this scenario, Sarcos and the customer used the robotic system to successfully trim trees around active power lines to showcase its ability to reduce occurrences of power-line-related injuries and fatalities.

Separately, the company completed a field demonstration with a multi-national, sustainable materials science company. In this instance, the Guardian XT robotic system was used to conduct nondestructive testing (NDT) and inspections of at-height, in-process pipes at a chemical plant. The goal was to improve inspection efficiency while reducing potentially life-altering injuries and events associated with at-height work.

A third field demonstration was successfully completed with a multinational oil and gas company, with a focus on construction activities.

SenSuit also in development

In parallel with these first product demonstrations, Sarcos is also developing its SenSuit wearable robot controller, which will be used for enhanced teleoperation of the Guardian XT robotic system.

The robot will integrate the controller and a high-definition, head-mounted display (HMD) for virtual reality or augmented reality (VR or AR) to provide intuitive control of the system and enable the use of standard trade tools, said the company.

In April, Sarcos announced that it will become publicly listed that it will become publicly listed through a merger with Rotor Acquisition Corp., a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2021, at which point the combined company’s common stock is expected to trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol "STRC."