HyperShell X Outdoor PowerSuit Exoskeleton
hypershell.tech
hypershell.tech
The elderly are somewhat aided by this sort of thing, and it can help people hike over uphill slopes and flat land, but it's not magic -- and as it doesn't assist with knee extension, it's not much help if you plan on climbing lots of stairs.
These things have been popular in China for years, and HyperShell, which is headquartered in China and shares tech with DJI, is a slick Western-facing wrapper over those core designs.
Raising your leg is hip flexion.
Also this device seems to help in both directions: (from their specs page, maybe an awkward translation)
> As demonstrated on the product page, the Hypershell simultaneously drives two sets of leg levers, creating smooth and natural movements in both directions.
> The system produces two forces: one to assist in lifting the leg and another to aid in pushing the leg forward.
Oh, shoot, you're right. Thanks for the correction.
> The system produces two forces: one to assist in lifting the leg and another to aid in pushing the leg forward.
If that's the case, then this model must assist in hip flexion and extension -- helping you raise one leg as it gently pushes back on the other to drive you forward.
It would certainly lower the metabolic cost of walking, but I'm not sure of the magnitude of the effect.
> https://www.cyberdyne.jp/english/products/LowerLimb_medical....
But what Cyberdyne makes is, emphatically, not for hiking or for work. That one at the link is a very bulky, very slow, very expensive medical exoskeleton.
When it comes to commercially-available powered devices, the Chinese favor hip exoskeletons and, more rarely, upper-body industrial exoskeletons. Check these out:
> https://kenqingkeji.com/gongyewuliu.html
There are also passive (unpowered) systems that assist with grounding weight, and these necessarily extend all the way to the foot:
> https://kenqingkeji.com/product_details/19.html
Arcteryx and the US (ex-Google) company Skip are different -- they're working on models that appear to favor the knee rather than the hip. See:
> https://blog.arcteryx.com/news/arcteryx-and-skip-partner-to-...
I don't know if this is commercially available yet, though.
I want gear that can also resist. Akin to wearing weights on ankles. Like the DNSYS's "aqua mode" mentioned elsethread. But for the whole body.
Such an exoskeleton could help astronauts maintain strength and muscle mass, right?
Then the astronaut could also be passively "working out" while doing other tasks.
Further, imagine simulating swimming, burpees, stair climbs, body weight exercises, whatever, while floating in space. That'd be cool.
Which seems fine as long as you're operating within knee tolerances (for a given age), but seems dicey if boosted to superhuman levels.
I have one of their units. It definitely assists with hiking in the standard modes and the "aqua mode" on the device does increase resistance. As an able-bodied person who hikes for sport, I don't tend to use it much. Though I sometimes throw it on with aqua mode for some added resistance for smaller hikes.
I don't believe a weighted vest provides that same feel, but I'm not entirely sure how they differ either.
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I guess if it meant I could bring my paraplegic neighbor hiking it would be cool.
She was in a coma. Unlike the movies, you don't usually just "wake up" from a coma. She'll never recover, and she used to love to walk in the park rather than be wheeled around it. Now she can again.
It was worth it. To me and to her.
I love cycling. Even without electric assist I find using mechanical advantage invigorating.
No one is forcing an exoskeleton or ebike on you. Why can’t you be happy for the people whose mobility it improves? What have you lost by their gain?
It lowers the barrier for entry, doesn't prevent effort
There is also quite a lot in between “climb a mountain” and a “walk in the local park”.
Probably a third of that at max power usage/support capacity.
1) MTB trails are high-maintenance. People riding more miles on heavier bikes means more wear and tear.
2) Their higher speed messes with the flow of traffic. In Colorado, I don't have to step off the trail much to let folks pass from behind. When I ride in other places that allow ebikes, it's pretty obnoxious to be letting them by.
3) They allow inexperienced folks deeper in the back-country. I had to go on a rescue with my S&R crew to assist a dehydrated e-bike rider with a dead battery 25 miles back to the trailhead. It was a very long day. People who go that far out are usually in far better shape and better prepared than the average rider.
4) They let less skilled riders on more difficult trails. This means brake bumps before the berms, trail widening, and ride-arounds appearing next to intimidating features.
No attack on you personally, I've ridden them extensively to train for downhill races and completely understand they can make the sport a lot more fun without having to grind the fitness aspect. However, myself and most other folks I come across in MTB, rescue, and trail building communities see some major systemic issues with their increased adoption.
I'm providing this perspective here because I think it's very relevant to the discussion on exoskeletons' potential impact on outdoor recreation. More hikers putting in more miles when they could get the same level of exercise staying on more beginner-friendly trails causes problems.
I do love the aspect of letting folks who would otherwise be unable to participate in these pursuits enjoy them, but I think Colorado's policy of limiting electrical assist to high-traffic beginner trails for bikes would be well adapted to hiking if these become a thing.
And he barely said that he is against it. He had no honesty and bravery to tell me he thinks this is "cheating" or smth. And he knows I am overweight and chronically ill, but he still thinks it is just a matter of training more etc.
The ergonomics of this design look much less likely to snag and get in the way than other powered exoskeletons I've seen though. Replace the electrical motor and battery with a chemical energy system (internal combustion, or even just hydrogen peroxide decomposition on silver catalyst) and this could go a long way (but with higher response latency, much higher noise, and increased control complexity).
This is what allows drones to be a thing.
The large DJI drones like the T40 are 4KW per rotor… https://www.dji.com/uk/mobile/t40/specs
https://hobbyking.com/en_us/turnigy-rapid-5000mah-4s-14-8v-1...
Either your whole body gets capable of walking the distance, or you'll assist a part of it and wear out another part.
For example, unloading trucks, carrying plaster boards etc. I would kill to have one of these (for arms) the last time I unloaded 50 acoustic plasterboards @ 60kg each in the last office reno.
The truck driver gave me a hand and yeah he was a bit tired but me, I was dead. My bones hurt.
We're always just a few years out from wacky Kojima world.
Do you think it's just not useful as a consumer product for enjoying nature, and that they're conning their potential customers?
Or are you thinking something more along the lines of "this application waste, these _should_ be used to assist the disabled and elderly"?
In the latter case, I think your reaction is misplaced. If a piece of technology is useful to a small segment of the population, it's beneficial to them if it also gets adopted as consumer technology. I claim this because the price of the devices should fall as more of them are manufactured (Wright's Law).