Sarcos Robotics announced Monday availability of its Guardian S robotic mobile Internet of Things (IoT) platform, aimed to improve worker safety and enhance efficiency. The Guardian S is a cloud-connected mobile IoT platform that provides inspection and surveillance capabilities in challenging environments.
The Guardian S integrates the Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform and the Microsoft Azure IoT Suite, and leverages Windows 10 for the tablet controller. The cloud computing platform enables customers to collect, store and analyze sensor data in environments or for applications where it is not feasible to deploy fixed sensors.
The Guardian S can add significant value to a variety of different industries, including public safety (SWAT, explosive ordinance disposal, HAZMAT, fire, disaster recovery), mining, oil and gas, infrastructure inspections, maritime, power generation and aircraft
Delivering extended run times and long-range wireless operations, while remaining man-portable and cost-effective; the Guardian S represents an entirely new class of robotic solution. It will be commercially available by August.
The Guardian S offers optional cloud-connectivity through the Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform and the Microsoft Azure IoT Suite, enabling secure storage and retrieval of environmental video, audio, and sensor data, in addition to information on the health and operation of the robot. The combination of IoT sensors and Azure services has proven to be highly valuable for evaluating the performance of, and predicting required maintenance for the various industrial machines in which they are placed.
The Guardian S mobile IoT platform takes the utility of the cloud to the next level by leveraging Azure cloud computing functionality and analytics to collect and analyze data about the environment surrounding the robot for enhanced mission awareness and success.
Weighing 13.5 pounds, the Guardian S tele-operates and traverses challenging terrain including stairs, culverts, pipes, tanks, vertical ferromagnetic surfaces and confined spaces, while facilitating two-way real-time video, voice, and data communication.
It also delivers the ability to carry a 10-pound payload while traversing a horizontal surface; access confined spaces with openings that are 5 inches high or more; IP67 certification makes it waterproof and capable of decontamination after exposure to chemicals or other hazardous elements; and improved mission life as compared to other UGV platforms – over 18 hours of surveillance time and a four-mile travel range.
Guardian S also features wireless and wired broadband communication options with wireless (Wi-Fi, LTE, and proprietary radio) to tethered options, which can be implemented based on customer needs; and multiple, customizable sensor packages that can be carried or installed, including IR, Chem-bio, radiation, gas, vibration, GPS, accelerometer, 3D mapping, and 360-degree video with low light capabilities.
“The Guardian S represents a quantum leap forward in inspection tools that create safer work environments and, ultimately, prevent injuries and save lives,” said Ben Wolff, Sarcos chairman and CEO. “We recognize that drones and UAVs are doing an incredible job of collecting useful data about wide-open environments, but we see an opportunity for collecting data in confined or enclosed spaces, or circumstances that require hours, not minutes, of data collection, or where data can only be collected by placing sensors in close proximity to, or in contact with, a surface. We designed the Guardian S to address these challenges. The Guardian S is the first multi-purpose, man-portable, wirelessly-controlled, unmanned ground vehicle, capable of traversing challenging terrain, climbing vertically and even inverted, that acts as a mobile IoT platform to carry multiple sensor payloads.”
“Microsoft is thrilled to work with Sarcos—a global leader in the development of dexterous robots for unstructured and unpredictable environments—on the commercialization of the Guardian S,” said Caglayan Arkan, General Manager of Worldwide Manufacturing at Microsoft. “They have created robots no one ever thought were possible with the mission of saving lives, preventing injury, and enhancing efficiency. The Guardian S integrates our Microsoft Azure cloud computing platform, Azure IoT Suite, and Windows 10 for the controller, making it one of the first truly mobile IoT robotic platforms available today—raising the bar for traditional ground robots.”
Optimized for unstructured and unpredictable environments, the Guardian S provides real-time information and data to the human operator while keeping them out of harm’s way. It is uniquely designed to go where other robots can’t, and humans shouldn’t, including confined spaces and hard-to-reach structures.
The Guardian S can be purchased through Sarcos’ Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) offering, or through a single upfront payment.
