Design World – August 2019

86 August 2019 http://www.designworldonline.com DESIGN WORLD

The Robot Report

DESIGN WORLD http://www.designworldonline.com August 2019 87

things like alpha, beta, and low-rate

production ourselves, but we can work

with contract manufacturers to scale.”

Working with testers

“In March, we announced the X-TAG

[Exoskeleton Technical Advisory Group],”

said Beaufait. “We have about a dozen

companies that we’ve been engaging

with, and they’ve already given us

feedback on specifications such as being

able to lift 200 lb.”

“Given that we’re between the

prototype and the alpha phase, they have

questions around the tangible aspects

of somebody using it on the operations

side,” he said. “On the company side,

they’re interested in what we’re doing

about safety and potential faults. They’re

comfortable about where we’re at.”

“We’ll deliver one alpha unit to the

DOD in December,” Beaufait said. “It’s

not a military version but for logistics,

effectively beginning alpha testing.”

Moving from motion to comfort

Sarcos’ “Get-Out-of-the-Way” control

system reflects advances in human-

machine interaction.

“The robot monitors the human, who

moves the way they normally would, and

responds,” said Beaufait. “Our algorithm

is quite mature.”

“We’ve now moved on to things like

employee comfort,” he added. “Many

companies have passive exoskeletons,

and we hear from them on heat and

discomfort. Workers don’t want to share

harnesses.”

“The items we’re spending a bit of

time are making sure that wherever

there’s a soft-tissue interface -- chest

and pelvis harnesses, then hands and

feet -- we make sure that they don’t

chafe,” Beaufait said. “We want to

make sure that somebody can use the

exoskeleton for appropriate times for

manufacturing, construction, or logistics

tasks. We want it to be as comfortable as

getting into your car.”

“We’ve done things in the past for

different government agencies for space

and underwater, but our X-TAG members

have shared the most important lessons

learned -- anywhere people wear

suits for long periods,” he explained.

The Guardian XO will

begin alpha testing in

December.

| Sarcos

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