William McCormick
Tom Jackson, president of Sarcos Defense, a subsidiary of Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corp., recently spoke with ExecutiveBiz regarding the company’s efforts to address the uphill battle of talent recruitment to drive the long-term success of its workforce in the highly competitive federal landscape.
In addition, Jackson also discussed the recent growth initiatives for Sarcos Defense as well as the new markets the company is expanding into as the rise of cybersecurity, 5G, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies continue to make an impact during the latest Executive Spotlight interview.
“At Sarcos, the work we’re doing is significant and the impact is significant. Our work is to try to prevent injuries, bring in cutting-edge technology, and marry those two concepts with user-centric capabilities. Sarcos has a number of initiatives that the company has put in place over the past several months to inspire our workforce and create a team environment.”
You can read the full interview with Tom Jackson below:
ExecutiveBiz: What can you tell us about the company’s recent growth initiatives and how you’re driving value for your customers through contract awards, acquisitions, and other aspects across the federal sector? What are your strategic goals for the coming year?
Tom Jackson: “I’m president of Sarcos Defense; we function as a subsidiary of Sarcos Technology and Robotics Corp. Our division focuses on global defense and our U.S. government clients, which includes the military, defense industry, and public safety sectors.
As we look to the next year of business, Sarcos will continue to work with our military and government customers with whom we have existing contracts, as well as to onboard new clients. We have some new integrations as well, such as our recent acquisition of RE2 Inc., that are giving us the opportunity to expand our capabilities as a team.
In a nutshell, Sarcos robots are designed to prevent injuries and increase productivity. Our approach and philosophy at Sarcos is centered around augmenting humans, not replacing them altogether. Our two core products are the Guardian® XO® industrial exoskeleton and the Guardian® XT™ teleoperated dexterous robotic system.
The Guardian XO robot is a full-body, powered exoskeleton that can lift up to 200 pounds and takes the weight off of the person performing the task. Sarcos has been working on our exoskeleton for more than 20 years and we have announced contracts with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Special Operations Command, and the U.S. Marine Corps.
Our second main product is our Guardian® XT™ robot, which is a dexterous teleoperated robot. The version for the Department of Defense is the Guardian® DX robot. In addition to a high level of dexterity, the robot is able to work at height, or on a variety of mobile bases, to remove workers from dangerous environments.
Currently, the Guardian XT and DX robotic systems are the same, but we have changed the name for the DoD business to account for any future variations that may be needed based on specific requirements our defense partners may have.
Additional work that we’re doing from a software perspective includes Cybernetic Training for Autonomous Robots (CYTAR™), an artificial intelligence and machine learning platform. This technology will take the burden off the person operating the system and allow the robot to start accomplishing tasks in which the human supervises the robot.
As we look at the field of autonomous robots and AI-based capabilities, a lot of people are concerned about getting replaced, which is not our focus. We’re here to help humans work a lot longer and more safely, especially as part of our military.”
ExecutiveBiz: How does your company ensure long-term success for your workforce to drive value for your employees as you continue to face the uphill challenge to recruit and retain the best talent in the federal marketplace?
Tom Jackson: “In addition to the technology synergies that we expect to see as the result of our acquisition of RE2, Sarcos has been able to expand our workforce very quickly as we’ve absorbed their highly talented employees as part of this deal. More than 100 employees have joined Sarcos from RE2, which is bringing in new, fresh perspectives.
RE2 has a solid reputation and track record in both the defense and commercial sectors. Our organizations were very similar – two smaller companies in the robotics field trying to make a difference for the military and commercial workspace. It’s been a really great culture fit and the merging of our two companies has created a lot of buzz and excitement for us moving forward.
From a defense perspective, we want to merge our talent and continue to grow and expand as we move into the commercialization and production phase of our robots. We believe our mission to help reduce occupational injuries and remove workers from harm’s way is appealing for our recruitment efforts. Everyone wants their work to make a difference and to be a part of something significant. It is a big reason why I joined Sarcos myself.
At Sarcos, the work we’re doing is significant and the impact is significant. Our work is to try to prevent injuries, bring in cutting-edge technology, and marry those two concepts with user-centric capabilities.
Sarcos has a number of initiatives that the company has put in place over the past several months to inspire our workforce and create a team environment. RE2 coming into the picture has also energized this entire effort as we move forward.”
ExecutiveBiz: In recent years, what are some of the biggest improvements in the way we talk and think about innovation across the federal sector since the rise of cybersecurity, AI/ML, 5G and other emerging technologies?
Tom Jackson: “I’ve seen some incredible shifts, particularly in the last several years, that have really changed our industry. First, the pandemic has made a big impact in terms of forcing us to recognize that we have a lot of workforce challenges to address moving forward.
We need to figure out how to augment our existing workforce, and that’s something I’ve seen really change from the defense perspective. In my experience, the initial phase of introducing robotics and unmanned systems in the DoD required a ton of manual operation of those systems.
There’s been an evolution, but it took some time for our military branches to understand how robotics and unmanned systems are essential to completing the mission.
In these current times, we need to use technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning to not only enable those systems to perform better but to start to offload some of the intense labor that’s required to operate the system.
AI and machine learning are no longer seen as additions, but as something that is integral to the operation because you’re not making huge advancements unless you’re taking some of the workloads off the operator. It’s not just about keeping them safe, but also about bridging the gap from a defense point of view to address labor constraints.
The U.S. DoD now has a lot more ground to cover with the same number of warfighters. How can we handle the logistics and sustainability requirements across the globe moving forward with our current defense force? For me, the exciting part of addressing this challenge is that we’re now starting to see the adoption of AI from a philosophical perspective as well.”
