SARCOS Robotics, a leader in the development of robotic systems that augment humans to enhance productivity and safety, has announced that it has successfully demonstrated its SenSuit controller garment.

As part of the next-generation technologies designed for enhanced teleoperation of the Guardian XT robotic system, this milestone leveraged Sarcos’ proprietary motion-caption controller to enable enhanced teleoperation of the robot’s dexterous arms. Capable of lifting and manipulating up to 90 kg, the Guardian XT robot is ideal for accomplishing precision tasks and performing work in unstructured environments.

Sarcos recently put the advanced teleoperation control system, including the SenSuit motion-capture controller, and Guardian XT robotic system, to work in a live tree-trimming demo at its headquarters in Salt Lake City, the United States.

The Guardian XT robotic system — the upper-body variant of the award-winning Sarcos Guardian XO full-body, battery-powered industrial exoskeleton — is designed to perform intricate and dangerous tasks requiring human-like dexterity, keeping the operator at a safe distance in challenging and hazardous conditions.

It is platform-agnostic and can be mounted to a variety of mobile bases to access hard-to-reach or elevated areas and applies to a number of industries, including power utilities, oil and gas, chemical processing, food processing, construction, infrastructure maintenance and repair, heavy manufacturing, maritime, distribution and warehousing, and park, forest, and commercial property management.

Expected to be commercially available by the end of 2022, the Guardian XT robot will integrate Sarcos’ SenSuit wearable controller and a high-definition, VR-based or AR-based head-mounted display (HMD), delivering intuitive control of the robot and enabling the use of standard trade tools.

The SenSuit controller enables the Guardian XT robot to mimic the operator’s movements in real time. It is an inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based motion tracker that communicates with the robot and leverages Sarcos’ proprietary force feedback technologies.

The Guardian XT robot is equipped with effectors that enable dexterous control of trade tools and materials, including hand-held power tools, welding and cutting equipment, inspection and test equipment, parts and components, hazardous materials, and retail inventory goods, among others.

(SD-Agencies)