Sarcos (now Palladyne AI) · legged machine
Guardian S
A portable, two-ended tracked snake robot that climbs stairs and steel walls and squeezes through pipes and culverts, streaming video from six cameras. Weight figures vary across sources (about 3.6-7.7 kg).
- Price
- $50,000Cheaper than 43%
- Height
- 13 cmTaller than 9%
- Weight
- 7.7 kgHeavier than 24%
- Payload
- 4.5 kgCarries more than 0%
- Speed
- 2.2 km/hFaster than 53%
- Battery
- —Not published
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Why it matters
Marketed by Sarcos as the first commercially available, energetically autonomous snake robot.
Real-world use
Aimed at police and public-safety agencies
Timeline
- Released
- 2017
Maker
Sarcos (now Palladyne AI)Company · founded 1983 · Salt Lake City, Utah, USANasdaq listing via SPAC (September 2021); owned by Raytheon 2007-2015
How it stacks up
Against other legged & novel that publish the figure. Pick a measure.
Guardian S is taller than 9% of the 22 other legged & novel that publish a height. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Guardian S is heavier than 24% of the 25 other legged & novel that publish a weight. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Guardian S is faster than 53% of the 19 other legged & novel that publish a speed. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Guardian S carries more than 0% of the 9 other legged & novel that publish a payload. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Guardian S costs less than 43% of the 7 other legged & novel that publish a price. Bars show the 7 closest in date.
Not published by the maker: joints, battery.
Public attention
A historic robot: no longer sold or in use, so it is not ranked against current machines.
- No Wikipedia article of its own yet
- 1 news story from reputable press listed on this page
Measures how much people read and write about a robot, not how good it is. Measured 2026-10-13; same method for every robot. How it is measured
What’s inside
The parts the company has talked about publicly.
- Movement
- Tracks
- How it runs
- Remote-controlled. Operators inspected hazardous areas remotely, receiving real-time video, voice and data from its cameras and sensors.
- Actuators & motors
- Two linked tracked bodies with rubber treads; climbs 45-degree stairs; 3-3.5 mph (1.25 mph with optional magnetic tracks for climbing steel walls)
- Sensors & vision
- Four multiplexed cameras for 360-degree view, night vision, LED lights, FLIR 320x256 thermal camera, rear navigation camera, GPS, IMU, accelerometer, magnetometer; two-way audio
- Battery & power
- About 18 hours standby or 3-4 miles of travel
- Materials & build
- IP67, waterproof to about 3 ft and floats; survives 6 ft drops and chemical decontamination
- Other details
- About 13 lb, 52 in long; Wi-Fi, radio (about 1,500 ft line of sight), 4G or optional 750 ft fibre tether; two sensor bays
Lineage
Every Sarcos Robotics (now Palladyne AI) machine in order.
Watch Guardian S
Made, sold and where
Unit counts are usually company figures; analysts often disagree.
- Price
- $50,000Base (non-magnetic) model reported at roughly $50,000-60,000 (Officer.com, 2017)
- How to get one
- No official buying page found
- Sold or delivered
- Base model reported at roughly $50,000-60,000
- Customers and pilots
- Aimed at police and public-safety agencies
News
The latest 1, newest first. Summaries are ours; tap through for the original.
- Guardian S profiled for police use
Officer.com described the backpack-portable snake robot's cameras, comms options and wall-climbing variant.
Officer.com
Sources
Figures come from press coverage. Every link below backs something on this page.
Photos and logos only identify each robot and its maker. Simbeing is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsing any company, and nothing here is advertising. Figures are for statistics only and are not advice of any kind. Terms of use