Utah robotics company announces industrial exoskeleton suits available end 2019
In an article today at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Spectrum Magazine web site, Eliza Strickland reports on an announcement
by Sarcos Robotics, a company based in Salt Lake City, that they plan
to have available for sale in late 2019 a battery powered industrial
robotic exoskeleton suit.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eliza Strickland, IEEE
Now, finally, Sarcos is coming out with a commercial exoskeleton: the Guardian XO. Wolff says the sleek battery-powered suit will be ready at the end of 2019. It’s intended not for the battlefield but rather for industrial settings such as factory floors, construction sites, and mines, where it can provide a substantial return on investment by boosting worker productivity and decreasing injuries.
Wolff says his engineering team made breakthroughs in power management that enabled them to build a practical and reasonably priced suit. “It’s one thing to make a very expensive robot in the lab,” Wolff says. “We’re finally at the point where the exoskeleton’s capabilities coupled with the economics make it a viable product.”
The XO will be available in two models: Workers wearing the basic XO will be able to repeatedly hoist 35 kilograms without strain, while those wearing the heavy-duty XO-Max will easily lift a 90-kg load. Each model has a battery that lasts for up to 8 hours and can be quickly swapped out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Eliza Strickland, IEEE
Companies that are ready to put their money down anyway will be signing on for a “robot as a service” package, in which Sarcos will deliver the Guardian XOs, install the docking stations, and frequently visit the client’s facility for suit maintenance, repairs, and upgrades. The cost of an XO package, Wolff says, “is roughly the equivalent to a fully loaded, all costs included, $25 per hour employee.” Wolff argues that companies will save money by investing in XOs, claiming that an exoskeleton will improve a worker’s productivity by four to eight times, and will reduce injuries to boot.
Though you won't be able to scale shear walls with your fingertips
like iceman and I'd advise against kicking sand in the face of strongmanmike
any time soon, you could be the envy of your observing colleagues
as you carry your 90kg scope out onto the observing field with ease and plonk
it down.
Trouble is, once we start designing things to suit a one man lift assuming that is 90kg... there will be side effects where afterwards people find something is effectively inaccessible, unmaintainable or useless because no-one can lift it without one of these suits, and you can’t get other lifting equipment into the same physical space.
Water heaters in tight spaces in apartments come to mind.
Trouble is, once we start designing things to suit a one man lift assuming that is 90kg... there will be side effects where afterwards people find something is effectively inaccessible, unmaintainable or useless because no-one can lift it without one of these suits, and you can’t get other lifting equipment into the same physical space.
Imagine how much harder they will make opening salsa dip lids in the future.
It won't eventuate. Others have made similar claims for years but nothing happened. The claims like this are purely to tempt venture capitalists and never a target they work to. I tried finding somethng like this just to try having a working arm again but nope. two places can make them for 6 figures and are custom made and fitted for the individual only from them and they are overseas since our government doesnt support cutting edge health care or treatments (which i'll clearly never raise the funds to get
cool enginerring yes but bs about it ever getting to those of us who need it. seeing as nobody posted a serious comment i can see why too.
Whilst a company employee provided a demonstration of the full suit,
the author was permitted to use a one-arm version of the technology and
reported that :-
Quote:
Originally Posted by Evan Ackerman
Still, it was an amazing sensation. The arm I tested, which Sarcos says uses the same control system as the full-body suit, was incredibly easy to operate. In terms of control, all the exo tries to do is get out of the way of your limbs: It uses force sensors to detect every motion that you make, and then moves its own limbs in parallel, smoothly matching your body with its own hardware."
Whilst a company employee provided a demonstration of the full suit,
the author was permitted to use a one-arm version of the technology and
reported that :-