Development begins on the first, high-performance prosthetic arm designed for people with upper-arm amputations: the Utah Arm. Motion Control Inc. is founded to produce the Utah Arm.

The first Utah Arm is made available in 1981. The product remains the leading myoelectrical controlled prosthetic arm in the world.

Moving from prosthetics to robotic development, Sarcos spins out of Motion Control, Inc. and the University of Utah. Sarcos is distinctive for its technically diverse engineers and designers who incorporate biological and engineering perspectives to produce dexterous systems that replicate natural movement and augment human capabilities, all while increasing safety.

Walt Disney Enterprises enlists Sarcos to create the first humanoid robots that move with human-like speed and grace. Universal Studios follows in 1993 with a request to redesign the King Kong characters for the Kongfrontation ride and to create 16 dinosaur robots for Jurassic Park: The Ride in 1994.

At human-scale and kinematically equivalent, the Sarcos Dextrous^® Arm is a hydraulically-actuated, force-reflective robot arm for high-fidelity dexterous applications in conditions that are inhospitable to humans, such as underwater and down to depths of 20,000 feet. The Dextrous Arm has an intuitive control interface and sufficient dexterity to provide operators with superior situational awareness with little operator training.

Sensing real-time, full-body joint motion of the wearer, the SenSuit records the natural movements of the human operator and communicates those actions to a humanoid robot or virtual world model. SenSuits are used worldwide to create recorded sequences for research and to control humanoid robots in real-time for entertainment.

Partnering with fountain architects WET Design, Sarcos designs and begins construction of more than 200 waving fountains at the Bellagio Hotel. The fountains opened with the hotel in 1998 and continue to attract thousands of daily visitors.

Sarcos accepts a DARPA contract award to develop a design for a powered military exoskeleton for the U.S. Army. A series of human-scale, hydraulically powered wearable robots are developed for demonstration to DARPA.

Sarcos is one of the top small-company recipients of DARPA funding over the past three decades.

Sarcos is awarded DARPA funding for a “Multi-Dimensional Mobility Robot” intended to have a snake-like form factor and designed to climb poles. Larger and lower-cost versions are developed in the following years.

Of the 14 submissions to DARPA, the Sarcos XOS exoskeleton prototype is the accepted design. The XOS-1 hydraulically-powered, full-body robot reduces the weight of heavy loads for military personnel, which increases stamina, speed, and strength, without hindering mobility.

Aerospace and defense tech leader Raytheon acquires Sarcos to operate as their robotics division and develop technologies for U.S. governmental agencies.

The second-generation XOS-2 exoskeleton is lighter, faster, more energy-efficient, and stronger than the original; it is voted one of Time Magazine’s best innovations in 2010. The exoskeleton enables an operator to easily transport up to 150 lb while walking 3 mph, climbing stairs, steep inclines, lifting, moving, and placing heavy objects at human speeds.

Drawing from their dexterous and force-reflective technology’s early roots, Sarcos sets out to create a commercial version of the large robotic Dextrous^® Arm. Less than 3 months after the project start, an initial prototype of the Guardian GT robot and force-reflective operator control interface is demonstrated.

Guardian GT robot receives a second arm. Each arm has seven degrees of freedom, is equipped with dexterous end-effectors, and can lift up to 500 lb.

Sarcos works with the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a lightweight, high lift capacity pneumatic system for rescue missions to recover survivors in downed aircraft, rolled vehicles, or collapsed structures.

Sarcos Corp. separates from Raytheon to return to being a privately-owned small company, focusing on commercial production of various robotics technologies.

Sarcos Series A funding totals more than $25 million. Investors include Schlumberger, Caterpillar, GE Ventures, and Microsoft.

The Guardian GT robot makes its commercial debut by participating in the Mercury Control Center demolition.

Formerly exclusive to U.S. governmental agencies, the Guardian S robot becomes commercially available to enable and enhance the industrial workforce.

The Guardian S robot is awarded Gold in the Most Innovative Product of the Year category from the Best in Business Awards. The robot receives an honorable mention in the Innovation by Design category by Fast Company.

Sarcos partners with BMW, CAT, GE, and others to form the Exoskeleton Technical Advisory Group (X-TAG), a group that meets regularly to ensure the Guardian XO exoskeleton will meet the needs of the industry.
The X-TAG is dedicated to driving the development of powered, full-body exoskeletons that address the growing need for a safer, more efficient workforce across a myriad of industries.

Frost & Sullivan awards the Guardian GT robot a Best Practices in Technology Innovation award in the dexterous mobile robotics industry. The Guardian GT robot is recognized as the IEEE Robot of the Week and one of the 100 Most Incredible and Innovative Technologies by Popular Science.

Unique from other exoskeletons, the Sarcos XO is energetically autonomous, capable of operating for extended duration using only onboard batteries, and is 14 times more efficient than the hydraulically-powered XOS-1.

Sarcos secures $30 million in Series B funding from a consortium of investors co-led by DIG Investment and Alex. Brown. Each Series A investors also participate, including Caterpillar Ventures, Cottonwood Technology Fund, GE Ventures, Microsoft, and Schlumberger.

Robotics Business Review recognizes Sarcos in its Top 50 Robotic Companies selection. The Guardian S robot earns a Product Innovation and Robot of the Week nod by IEEE.

Partnering with Delta Airlines, the Guardian XO exoskeleton debuts at the global stage for innovation, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), in Las Vegas. The Guardian XO exoskeleton garners attention from across industries. It is named PCmag.com’s Best Robot of CES, Digital Trend’s Top Emerging Tech, Venture Beat’s Best Idea of CES, and Wired’s Smartest Technology on Show Floor.

Sarcos raises $40 million in an oversubscribed Series C financing round. The Series C round was led by Rotor Capital, with most of Sarcos’ existing investors participating in the financing.

Sarcos continues to prove its innovation, winning recognition as the Dexterous Robots & Exoskeletons Company of the Year by Frost & Sullivan, as an Innovation by Design finalist by Fast Company, and for the XO at the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities Technology Competition.

Sarcos launches the Guardian HLS heavy-lift system for commercial use. Compact, portable, and easy to operate, the system is designed to lift rolled vehicles and other substantial payloads in less than five minutes.