Guardian XO, the exoskeleton that gives you superhuman strength

Expected for 2020, this exoskeleton makes it possible to lift and move loads that would require between four and ten people. Supporting its own weight, Guardian XO is easy to use and has a battery life of between two and eight hours.

Sarcos Robotics has just unveiled its new Guardian XO, an exoskeleton designed to assist humans in tasks that generally require the strength of several people. The firm prepared for the occasion a demonstration where some lucky people could test an arm of the exoskeleton and see the complete suit in action with heavy loads.

The Guardian XO is a robotic exoskeleton with 24 degrees of freedom, capable of lifting up to 90 kilograms. The device divides the weight for its operator by 20, giving the impression of lifting only 4.5 kilograms. Thanks to two 500 watt-hour batteries, it has an autonomy of at least two hours for intensive use and up to eight hours. The batteries are hot-swappable, allowing them to last all day.

An easy to use the robotic suit

At first glance, the Guardian XO seems a bit heavy and bulky, but it was designed to be extremely simple to use and limit any inconvenience to the human operator. The combination going to the ground, the exoskeleton supports its own weight, thus avoiding any load for the operator. In addition, the suit  is filled with sensors allowing it to detect the movements of the wearer to accompany them. Finally, it only takes a few moments to equip the exoskeleton, it only requires rapid training before it can be used.

Security was also taken into account. The arms can only be moved by pressing levers , otherwise they are locked. This allows the wearer to free his hands for a few moments to manipulate a control panel or write. In addition, the device has been designed to limit the speed of movement, thus avoiding any risk of a devastating punch, and reproducing only the movements possible with the human body, so as not to risk injury.