Spending $5000 on hiking pants sounds absurd, but hear me out. These $5000 hiking pants might mean I could go on real hikes again, something I haven't been able to do in years.
Wearable robotics company Skip and hiking gear outfitter Arc'teryx have teamed up to produce MO/GO, hiking pants with a battery-powered exoskeleton that they claim gives you a 40% boost going uphill, makes you feel 30 pounds lighter on flat ground, and cushions your knees on the way down. The pants cost $5000, or $4500 if you put down a $99 deposit now.
Last year, I considered backing the Hypershell, a similar device offered on Kickstarter. Backers pledged well over $1 million to produce the slightly lower-priced device. Having been burned on a 3D printer I backed on Kickstarter, which never materialized, I balked at backing another tech product that might be imaginary. The Hypershell was scheduled to be delivered in September 2023 but has yet to ship. Unlike my 3D printer, Hypershell is still posting updates, so there is still hope.
Although the MO/GO is more expensive than the still hypothetical Hypershell, it has two important advantages. One, it exists, and two, you can rent it for $80 to try it out for a day.
It could be wishful thinking on my part because I want to be able to hike again, but I think this one is legit. Arc'teryx is a reputable company with a solid history. Skip is a startup, but former Google X roboticists staff it, so they have bona fides. I'm not clear on why the pants need to be integrated into the design, other than giving Arc'teryx a reason to be involved. It does make the wearer look less like a cyborg than the Hypershell, but whether that is an advantage or not depends on how you feel about cybernetics.
via: Gear Junkie
Previously: This self-walking exoskeleton infers your destination and takes you there
