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WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

The technologies used to make exoskeletons are all improving fast, and that means huge gains in exoskeleton performance.

 

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Back in the 1980’s exoskeletons featured in almost every sci-fi movie, like Aliens, but since then their development has been rather slow. Although that said in some cases, such as the development of several brain controlled exoskeletons that gave a quadriplegic man back his mobility and elsewhere helped other people with their hospital rehabs, what little development there has been has been impressive.

 

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Needless to say exoskeletons that augment the physical capabilities of their human users have some very useful applications, and the one that’s gaining the most attention at the moment is assisting workers lifting heavy loads in industrial and military settings.

 

See the suit giving bags the heave-ho
 

Last year, we got our first look at an ambitious take on these high-tech suits in the form of the Guardian XO from Sarcos Robotics, who just collected $40 million in funding to bring its full-bodied exoskeleton to market in 2021.

 

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The company first revealed the Guardian XO last year, showing off what it described as “the world’s first battery-powered, full-body industrial exoskeleton,” adding that the untethered suit can operate for up to eight hours on a single charge and offer wearers a 20:1 strength amplification – which is impressive.

In short that ratio means that lifting a 40kg weight would feel like carrying a 2kg weight, or that carrying a 800kg weight would feel like carrying a 40kg weight – which is more like it! It’s no surprise then that this kind of capability drew the attention of Delta Airlines, which earlier this year teamed up with Sarcos Robotics to embark on pilots trials where, as you can see from the videos, its frontline workers would put the Guardian XO suit to the test.

 

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As for what’s next, well, now that the company has secured extra funding to commercialise their suit, apparently they hope to use some of the cash to move into industries such as healthcare, disaster recovery, mining and security, but so far they’re silent on their plans to enter it into weight lifting competitions and use it to battle off evil aliens …

About author

Matthew Griffin

Matthew Griffin, described as “The Adviser behind the Advisers” and a “Young Kurzweil,” is the founder and CEO of the World Futures Forum and the 311 Institute, a global Futures and Deep Futures consultancy working between the dates of 2020 to 2070, and is an award winning futurist, and author of “Codex of the Future” series. Regularly featured in the global media, including AP, BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC, Discovery, RT, Viacom, and WIRED, Matthew’s ability to identify, track, and explain the impacts of hundreds of revolutionary emerging technologies on global culture, industry and society, is unparalleled. Recognised for the past six years as one of the world’s foremost futurists, innovation and strategy experts Matthew is an international speaker who helps governments, investors, multi-nationals and regulators around the world envision, build and lead an inclusive, sustainable future. A rare talent Matthew’s recent work includes mentoring Lunar XPrize teams, re-envisioning global education and training with the G20, and helping the world’s largest organisations envision and ideate the future of their products and services, industries, and countries. Matthew's clients include three Prime Ministers and several governments, including the G7, Accenture, Aon, Bain & Co, BCG, Credit Suisse, Dell EMC, Dentons, Deloitte, E&Y, GEMS, Huawei, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, Lego, McKinsey, PWC, Qualcomm, SAP, Samsung, Sopra Steria, T-Mobile, and many more.

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