I reach the summit of Glyder Fach in Snowdonia National Park at 3pm. It’s the third Welsh peak over 3,000ft that I’ve climbed today, but I’m not even winded.
I’m an avid hiker, but my superior energy levels are down to the assistance I’m receiving from the Hypershell X Ultra, an exoskeleton that boosts my leg strength using AI-controlled motors on each hip.
The X Ultra isn’t a medical device; it’s the first exoskeleton certified for outdoor use and the Shanghai-based robotics company behind it claims it can reduce exertion by up to 39%. A TechRadar writer recently used one to try and improve his 5km run time on a track.
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“We’re trying to get past those preconceptions of what people think an exoskeleton is – that it’s for hospital settings,” says Toby Knisely, a representative from Hypershell who’s flown in from China for the nine-hour hike. The robotic legs are helping him to keep up, despite his jet lag.
With 15,000 users across 40 countries, this futuristic hiking accessory is unleashing a cyborg invasion on mountains across the globe with a barely audible hum. Eli Whitman from Weber County Search and Rescue in Utah – one of the biggest rescue teams to use drones in the world – tells me his team has been trialling the X Ultra for the past year and sees it as a potential tool to help tired hikers stranded in the backcountry.
“When people just need a little bit of an assist, we can fly [via drone] a couple of Hypershells up to a crew member on the ground and people can use it to walk themselves out,” he said. “People do better when they participate in their own rescue.”
Finding power in the mountains
When I tested an earlier model of the Hypershell X to climb Ben Nevis, I trimmed a full hour off my usual time. The newer, lighter X Ultra has more powerful motors, a superior battery life and comes with a more advanced AI system.
The device has three primary operational modes; Eco, the most subtle; Fitness, which adds resistance for strength training; and Hyper, which ups the assistance. In Snowdonia, my hike begins with a straightforward stretch of road, so I open the app on my Google Pixel 9 Pro and set it to Eco.
Instead of my legs marching away Wallace and Gromit style, I feel a gentle lift of my knees with each step, so I move faster with less effort. When the trail gets steeper, I bump it up to Hyper — which puts out 1,000 watts of power,enough to power a microwave —and I barely feel like I’m trying.
I prefer to hike under my own steam, but now I’ve worn the Hypershell on some of the UK’s highest peaks, I’ve found five things I really like about it. Read on for my favourite parts of AI-assisted hiking, plus a few areas for improvement.
5 things I like about the Hypershell X Ultra
1. It’s not just a placebo
Hypershell claims the X Ultra can lower heart rate by up to 42%, and while I don’t see quite such a big benefit, my Suunto Vertical 2 watch confirms the device is making a substantial difference in exertion.
My average heart rate in Snowdonia is 121 – about 20 beats per minute lower than usual for a strenuous hike, or a 17% reduction. On a hike like this, I’d expect to spend at least half my time in heart rate zones 2 and 3 and cross into Zone 5 on the final push, but I spent 74% of the hike in Zone 1 and only 10 minutes in an anaerobic state, despite climbing 1,300m over 16km.
In short? The device does what it says on the tin.
2. It’s surprisingly comfortable
These carbon fiber / titanium alloy robotic legs are more comfortable than they look. The X Ultra weighs 3.96 lbs / 1.8kg, the equivalent of carrying two extra bottles of water, but the well-padded, ergonomic design sits neatly on my hips and I soon forget I’m wearing it.
The reduction in exertion makes me feel lighter, and my hiking backpack sits on top of the hip belt so there’s virtually no weight on my shoulders either. Climbing over stiles poses no issue, and I can happily sit cross-legged on the ground for lunch.
By the end of a long day, I do feel ready to take it off, but I don’t feel any differently about my sweaty backpack or hiking boots.
3. It’s easy to use
I’ve already got a lot of hiking tech on my person, between my GPS watch, phone and Garmin InReach Mini 2. Fortunately, the X Ultra is easy to operate, so I don’t mind having yet another piece of gadgetry to fiddle with.
You can easily control the device from your phone or one of the best Apple Watches. After some initial trouble getting it to connect with my exoskeleton via my Pixel, it’s smooth sailing. I follow the instructions to adjust the exoskeleton to my body, and once I get on the trail I can adjust how much assistance I’m receiving, and see how much battery I have left.
I also try operating the device using the buttons on the hip belt, and though it takes a little more practice to become familiar with the system of long and short presses, it’s all fairly accessible.
4. There’s no range panic
When I tested the older model, I burned through two batteries and didn’t quite make it back to the trailhead before running out of juice, resulting in the same range panic I’ve experienced driving electric cars – not what I’m seeking from a day in nature.
The X Ultra has the same battery as the older model, but more efficient motors have improved its power so it now lasts up to 30km (18 miles).
In Snowdonia, I don’t end up using my spare battery and still have almost half my battery life remaining by the end of the hike. This is partly thanks to my relying on the more efficient Eco mode for the majority of the hike, but I’m confident I could get a couple of days of hiking in without having to find an electrical outlet.
5. It’s (kind of) affordable
The X Ultra hit the market at $1,899 / £1,599 / around AU$3,000, and it’s the first time this type of technology has been made available at this price point.
It’s not cheap, but for perspective, the Garmin Fenix 8 I often wear strapped to my wrist while I hike costs $999 / £949 / AU$1,699. My watch can offer me the psychological boost of knowing how far I’ve come, but only the robotic legs can physically help me get up the hill.
If you need something cheaper, the Hypershell X Go retails for a much friendlier $799 / £789 / around AU$1,200. It’s heavier, less powerful and won’t get you past 17.5km without a battery swap, but it will still buy you an easier day out in the hills.
One step forward, two steps back
One step forward, two steps back
Hypershell was only founded in 2021, so it stands to reason there are a few issues that still need ironing out. Here are three things about the Hypershell X Ultra I’m not sold on.
1. Downhill support isn’t as useful
What goes up must come down, and when it’s time to change direction, I find the X Ultra to be less valuable.
I enabled Hill Descent Control and detected a slight resistance, but the setting is not as consistent as uphill assistance and I sometimes find myself going too fast for comfort. Knisely tells me that HDC has now been updated to prevent downhill acceleration, but he also explains that the AI brain “really shines at pattern recognition” – so it’s not as helpful on uneven terrain as it is on stairs.
“The more variable terrain on hills kind of throws off the pattern recognition.”
For a long, gentle descent, the HDC will prove useful, but on rockier trails you may still want your trekking poles to keep your knees happy.
2. Rough ground is still tricky
Another issue I face with the X Ultra being built around pattern recognition is that the device is also less effective on rough terrain, no matter whether I’m going up or down.
As an outdoor device, it’s a good match for light rain, heavy sweat and a wider range of temperatures than you’ll ever need (-20°C to 60°C), but it sometimes makes me feel a little unstable when the trail is very uneven underfoot.
In Hyper Mode, I occasionally find myself surging forward unexpectedly when what I actually want to do is slow down and take care over my footing. This won’t pose a problem on straightforward paths, and keeping the device in Eco Mode helps, but it’s a reminder to keep my wits about me (and wear good hiking boots).
3. Strange next-day soreness
The morning after my hike, I’m both elated to discover I have no soreness in my thighs, and surprised to find that instead my calves are screaming at me.
This isn’t an area I’d usually experience post-hike soreness, so I ask Carrie Eckenhoff, a physiotherapist in Colorado if she can explain why. Eckenhoff hasn’t tried the device herself, but she thinks my newfound momentum could be behind it.
“The device may be forcing you to move fast and with more power than you are used to, and you might be absorbing that extra oomph through your calves.”
It goes to show that nothing happens inside a vacuum, and while a device like this may deliver on its promise, it won’t be without consequences.
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