Sarcos Robotics (USA, now Palladyne AI) Sarcos Guardian S (1)

Sarcos Robotics (USA, now Palladyne AI) Sarcos Guardian S (2)

Was $60,000List price per IEEE Spectrum's Robots Guide. A robot-as-a-service monthly plan was also offered.

Discontinued · unavailableNot programmableTracked snakeMagnetic wall climbingStair climbingDiscontinued

UnavailableShipping: Discontinued. Discontinued after Sarcos left the hardware business in 2023. Units were sold to industrial and public-safety customers and rarely resurface.

Remote control: Not possible. Driven only from the Sarcos tablet/handheld operator control unit.

Robots Guide (IEEE Spectrum) ↗Palladyne AI (Wikipedia) ↗

Overview

A tough, hand-carried snake-like tracked robot for industrial inspection, bomb squads and search and rescue that could climb stairs, slide up steel doors on magnetic tracks and crawl into pipes. It was one of the few snake robots sold commercially. Sarcos pivoted to AI software in 2023 and renamed itself Palladyne AI in 2024, so the Guardian S is no longer offered.

Specifications

Category	Crawlers, snakes & climbers · Snake robots
Released	2017
Availability	Discontinued · unavailable
Programmability	No programmability
Best for	Professionals & labs
Vision sensors	Camera
Actuators	Unknown
Audio	Microphone
Compute type	Proprietary / undisclosed
Remote control	Not programmable
Size	132 × 12 × 13.2 cm (snake mode), 7.7 kg
Locomotion	Two-segment tracked snake body with articulated middle joint, magnetized tracks for climbing steel walls
Compute	Custom embedded control, Wi-Fi with optional RF modules (915 MHz – 5.75 GHz)
Camera	Six 4K color cameras for 360° coverage, optional FLIR thermal camera
Sensors	Microphone, GPS, IMU, optional gas, vibration, HAZMAT and other third-party payloads, IP65
Runtime	147 Wh Li-ion, up to 12 h surveillance or ~3 mi (4.8 km) of travel
Speed	2.2 km/h
SDK	None public (custom OS and control software, AES-encrypted video)