内容来源：https://lifehacker.com/health/trying-on-every-exoskeleton-ces-2026?utm_medium=RSS

内容总结：

国际消费电子展（CES）直击：外骨骼从科幻走向现实，但距离普及仍面临成本与实用性挑战

在近日于拉斯维加斯举办的国际消费电子展（CES）上，除了琳琅满目的常规消费电子产品，一类曾多见于科幻作品中的设备——个人外骨骼——吸引了诸多目光。记者在展会期间亲身体验了六款不同设计的外骨骼设备，试图探寻这项技术是否已准备好走入寻常百姓家。

这些外骨骼主要分为三类：四款作用于髋部，一款作用于膝部，一款作用于脚踝。它们大多被参展商定位为“健身科技”产品，宣传其能帮助用户徒步更远、运动表现更佳。例如，有同行记者在试用某款髋部外骨骼后，表示其能帮助自己在峡谷徒步中轻松跟上经验丰富的同伴。

亲身体验：助力感真实，但体验参差

记者对六款设备进行了快速体验并给出了初步印象排名：

• 体验最佳的是Dephy Sidekick（售价约4500美元）：这款踝部外骨骼被设计为“动力鞋履”，通过与 Nike 合作研发的鞋具及小腿处的机械臂协同工作，主要辅助小腿肌肉发力推动前行。其设计精巧，穿戴舒适，且能智能判断行走状态提供适时助力，安全性考量较为周全。
• 其他表现较好的设备包括 Hypershell X Ultra（售价1999美元）、Ascentiz（起售价1499美元）和 Sumbu（售价1199-1999美元）。这几款髋部外骨骼在辅助爬楼梯、慢跑甚至短跑时都能提供明显且顺滑的助力感，其中 Hypershell 在动作识别准确性上表现更优。
• 针对膝部的Skip Mo/Go（预售价4999美元） 设计独特，电机可嵌入专用长裤中，主要辅助膝盖伸直，在下楼梯时提供有效的缓冲支撑，对于有关节疼痛或经历手术的人群可能有特殊价值，但穿戴稍显复杂，且不适于跑步。
• 体验最不理想的是WiRobotics WIM-S（韩国售价约1905美元），其助力感微弱，效果有限。

核心疑虑：价格高昂，目标用户模糊

尽管多数设备能提供切实的助力，证明其基本功能有效，但高昂的售价（从近千美元到五千美元不等）使其定位尴尬。对于严肃的户外运动爱好者而言，他们可能更倾向于通过训练或购买传统装备来提升表现；而对于行动不便的老年或残障人士来说，这又是一笔难以承受的支出，且消费级设备通常无法通过医疗保险报销。

记者就此咨询了康复机构的物理治疗专家。专家指出，医疗级外骨骼（价格可达数十万美元）在康复训练中效果显著，但需经过严格的医疗器械审批流程。目前消费级外骨骼厂商均明确避谈医疗用途，这虽规避了复杂的审批，却也将其主要潜在用户——真正受行动不便困扰的人群——挡在了价格和支持体系的大门之外。

未来展望：技术前景广阔，普及之路尚长

专家肯定了过去十年外骨骼技术在小型化、轻量化方面取得的进步，使其走出诊所成为可能。然而，她向厂商提出的核心挑战也正是当前消费市场的症结：如何创造出真正用户友好、设计轻薄、能提升生活独立性且价格可承受的产品？

记者的结论与此一致。外骨骼技术无疑充满潜力，体验令人印象深刻。但在目前阶段，对于广大行动不便者而言，它仍因价格和保障体系缺失而遥不可及；对于普通运动爱好者，其必要性也尚待证明。这项技术从展台炫酷的概念走向真正实用的普及，仍需在降低成本、明确应用场景以及建立长期可靠的产品支持体系上取得实质性突破。

中文翻译：

在拉斯维加斯报道国际消费电子展（CES）期间，我给自己安排了一项特别任务：试穿所有能找到的外骨骼设备。展会各处都能看到它们的身影，宣传语承诺能让我不知疲倦地走得更远，或是帮助我（参照宣传视频里那样）冲刺登山时发挥运动潜能。最终我测试了六款设备——其中四款作用于髋部，一款作用于膝盖，一款作用于脚踝。

最初关注到外骨骼是因为参与CES最佳产品奖评审工作。当时我负责评估"老年科技"类产品（专为老年人设计的辅助设备），而行动辅助设备也在候选之列。但我对消费级外骨骼技术是否足够成熟可靠持怀疑态度，也质疑其实用性是否真能吸引用户。这些问题至今仍无定论。虽然不排除未来入选可能，但最终获奖名单中并未出现任何外骨骼产品。

许多外骨骼企业将产品定位为健身科技，像Ascentiz和Hypershell等品牌在营销中都采用登山者和运动员形象。我的CNET同事詹姆斯·布里克内尔在CES期间曾带着Hypershell外骨骼前往附近峡谷步道徒步，他表示这让他能轻松跟上经验丰富的徒步者。（后来我们在CNET新闻中心相遇时，我借来这款设备在走廊进行了即兴冲刺测试。）

首先，我知道大家都想了解它们的外观和体验感受，接下来我将按个人喜好从低到高逐一介绍试穿过的型号。之后会探讨外骨骼是否值得购买，并分享与康复机构医疗级外骨骼专家的交流心得。

表现平平：WiRobotics WIM-S（1905美元）
这款极简设计的外骨骼是我离开展会前测试的最后一款，遗憾的是它在我榜单中垫底。此前我已体验过多款髋部外骨骼，它们贴合度好且对行走爬楼有明显助力。WIM-S纤薄简约的设计原本令我欣赏——直到启动设备为止。在展台被引导着上下微型楼梯几次后，就该把设备传给下一位体验者了。WIM-S的辅助效果实在不明显。

该设计将装置完全置于髋部前方，向下推压腿部前侧，感觉类似用手压膝盖辅助站立的动作。这款产品尚未在美国上市，韩国售价折合1905美元。

初显成效：Sumbu（1199-1999美元）
我在CES开幕前的媒体预展上首次体验了Sumbu外骨骼。那是当周首次（非末次）需要他人协助：先系好腰部束带，再将腿套固定在膝盖上方。行走时能感受到设备带动双腿；原地慢跑时我提到希望测试楼梯场景。好消息是：该公司的正式展台确实设有楼梯。

后来在CES初创企业展区"尤里卡公园"找到他们的展位。上下微型楼梯时，外骨骼让我轻松抬步，甚至两步并作一步爬楼也毫无压力。我还尝试站上约三级台阶高的楼梯顶部——这个举动让展台工作人员略显惊讶，但外骨骼让这个动作变得轻而易举。

坦白说，这款与接下来两款（Ascentiz和Hypershell）的贴合感和体验都很相似。仅凭几分钟测试很难精确排序，以下结论仅供参考。

Sumbu提供三款型号：轻量版S3（1199美元）、增强版S3 Pro（1499美元）以及"最大功率"版S3 Ultra（1999美元）。

助我奔跑：Ascentiz（1499美元起）
Ascentiz采用模块化设计，可同时辅助髋膝关节，但我只体验了髋部模块。髋部外骨骼似乎更受欢迎：本周测试的四款髋部设备中包含Ascentiz，而膝踝外骨骼各仅一款（不含Ascentiz，下文将介绍测试过的膝部外骨骼）。

所有外骨骼本质上都将人体关节视为铰链。膝盖是天然铰链关节；髋部虽能多向活动，但外骨骼仅辅助前后运动——用物理治疗师或健身教练的术语就是髋关节伸展与屈曲。髋部外骨骼辅助臀肌伸展髋部，和/或辅助髋屈肌向前抬腿。

Ascentiz巧妙地将展台设在展厅边缘，靠近楼梯且人流较少，方便我行走慢跑。爬楼梯时获得明显助力，往返慢跑甚至尝试冲刺时，设备运行流畅自然，每步发力时机精准恰当。

该公司正在Kickstarter众筹，官网显示H1（髋部）模块售价699-999美元，Pro/Ultra版建议零售价1499-1999美元。膝部模块（K1）覆盖双膝，价格高约100美元。髋膝全套组合售价2499-3399美元。

走廊冲刺的滑稽体验：Hypershell X Ultra（1999美元）
如前所述，我借来CNET同事的Hypershell X Ultra在会议厅快速测试。"野兽模式"辅助踏上椅子的效果令人惊艳，于是我尝试慢跑、快跑、冲刺，甚至急转急停测试其响应能力（这是我首款测试奔跑的髋部外骨骼）。

出乎意料的是体验极佳。公平地说，Ascentiz的奔跑感也不错，而Sumbu则缺乏测试空间。Hypershell完美同步我的动作且辅助无缝衔接，其他设备有时会将静止误判为迈步，Hypershell则较少出现此类失误。

与榜单其他产品不同，Hypershell已上市销售，这或许是其技术更成熟的原因（号称首款消费级户外外骨骼）。X Ultra版售价1999美元，入门款Hypershell Go仅899美元。

膝盖友好型：Skip Mo/Go（4999美元）
在美国退休人员协会的老年科技展区找到Skip展台，体验了其内置在长裤中的膝部外骨骼Mo/Go。裤内隐藏的腿套类似医用护膝，电机组件外挂在裤侧，外观如普通登山裤，仅膝侧露出机械关节。

我换上特制长裤，扣好电机后开始爬楼梯和深蹲。与髋部外骨骼的感受截然不同：电机相当于额外股四头肌，辅助伸直膝盖并在下楼梯时提供缓冲。

上下楼梯、原地深蹲、从矮凳站起……曾经历膝盖疼痛和手术的我立即理解这款产品的需求（及其入选AARP推荐的原因）。其他外骨骼试图在下楼时减速，而这款效果显著。坐下时机械膝帮助轻柔缓降，避免了常规动作结束时无意识的"扑通"落座。

仅尝试跑了几步，感觉并不理想——显然它非为跑步设计（至少目前如此）。由于腿套内置，舒适度不及其他外骨骼：直接接触皮肤易出汗可能摩擦。穿脱裤子也不便捷，行动不便者可能需要协助。展台代表提到外骨骼可拆出单独使用，若我拥有这款设备也会选择这种方式。

Skip Mo/Go尚未上市，目前可预订，最终售价4999美元。

步履生风：Dephy Sidekick（4500美元）
这是我在CES首试且近乎最后体验的外骨骼。媒体预展简单测试后，当周晚些时候又在尤里卡公园展台进行了长时间体验。

Dephy称其产品为"动力足具"。Sidekick包含两部分：带碳板的鞋履，以及环抱小腿膝下的机械臂。Dephy与耐克合作开发了各自版本（耐克版名为"Project Amplify"）。

单独穿着时鞋子柔软缓震——常听人将其比作Hoka鞋，确实比我磨损的旧耐克展会用鞋舒适。鞋后跟连接器可与机械臂对接，意外脱落时会向后掉落而非前倾。

该设备辅助小腿肌肉行走，启动几步后开始发挥作用，每步都能感受到抬脚跟的助力。虽不辅助抬脚，但能帮助脚掌下压推动前行。Dephy表示聚焦此动作是因为小腿肌肉是行走的"无名英雄"，提供大部分能量。

媒体预展时尝试了几步甚至人群冲刺，奔跑感奇特但非不适。后来在尤里卡公园长距离行走时，我确信这款踝部外骨骼比前述髋部型号更能节省体力减轻疲劳。

总体而言，这是所有测试中设计最周全、佩戴最舒适的产品。仅通过鞋履和小腿前侧衬垫固定身体，穿着常规袜裤即可舒适佩戴。设备扣接迅速，电池组插拔便捷。

我曾担心电机快速牵拉可能导致失衡（尤其对行动不便的老年人），但程序设定使这种风险远低于预期：仅在前行时启动助力，检测到侧移、后退或异常步伐立即停止。有次在拥挤展区躲避宠物犬时，Sidekick暂停辅助几步后立即恢复前行助力。

该产品本月下旬开始发货，含鞋履、电池和充电器的入门套装售价4500美元。

外骨骼的实际价值
要判断外骨骼的实际效用，需确认三点：是否有效、是否物有所值、是否契合目标人群需求。

亲身体验证实它们确实有效。六款中五款（WiRobotics除外）提供了切实助力。原本对它们能否达到最低标准都存疑，现有表现已令人惊喜。

但价格仍是问题。谁会花费1000-5000美元换取行走或徒步的些许辅助？资深徒步者和跑者可能更愿加强训练应对复杂地形，或将资金用于装备或教练。非徒步爱好者或许想借此跟上朋友步伐，但非徒步者会为此投入重金吗？

租赁市场可能更适合外骨骼发展：度假时租用Hypershell攀登风景山，或在主题公园穿着Dephy动力鞋延长游玩时间（需注意每日更换一两次电池）。

体验设备并审视价格后，我最大的疑问是：外骨骼能否帮助因残疾或慢性病导致行动不便的人群？为此我咨询了医疗外骨骼领域的资深人士。

消费级与医疗级外骨骼对比
Good Shepherd Creates总监阿曼达·克拉克是专业物理治疗师。该康复网络使用外骨骼进行物理治疗已超十年，包括治疗课程用的Ekso Bionics机器人服、儿童用Trexo Plus，以及家用型ReWalk个人设备。

这些设备能帮助原本无法独立行走者，或中风、脑损伤、脊髓损伤康复者行走。步数积累越多，神经系统越能掌握平衡行走技巧。

克拉克透露，康复机构采购这类设备约需25万美元，年维护费另加10%。使用者通常需要助行器或拐杖配合，且必须有人协助——康复机构的治疗师，或少数家用医疗外骨骼使用者的家属。

她解释说，获得医疗器械认证需要厂商投入大量时间和资金。这类设备需经过类似药品的FDA审批流程，厂商必须证明生产工艺合规，并通过临床试验证实设备安全性及对特定病症的疗效。

这解释了为何厂商代表都谨慎强调其产品属于"消费级""休闲用"或"运动型"设备。但消费级设备通常不在保险范围内，形成巨大使用壁垒。残障人士和慢性病患者——特别是工作困难者——往往无力承担数千美元支出。

鉴于这些新型号面世不久，若我身处其境，也会担忧设备是否如宣传有效、是否安全、公司能否长期运营提供售后支持。

但作为成长中的技术，这些设备确实可能帮助行动不便者。克拉克表示乐见技术进步使设备轻量化，实现临床环境外的穿戴可能。

不过她认为价格仍是主要障碍："我对这些企业的挑战是：如何打造用户友好、设计纤薄、真正提升独立性与生活品质的产品——同时让目标群体负担得起？"

这也是我的最终结论。技术前景广阔，但当前价格水平下，不确定能否惠及足够多行动不便者，或对运动员群体具备足够吸引力。鉴于测试设备初涉消费市场，期待未来数年在价格与技术方面能看到改进。

英文来源：

While I was covering CES, the big consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, I gave myself a side quest: try on every exoskeleton I could find. I kept seeing them at booths and events, promising to help me walk farther without fatigue, or reach my athletic potential as I'm (judging from their marketing videos) sprinting up a mountain. I ended up testing six of them—four assisted me at the hip, one at the knee, and one at the ankle.
Exoskeletons first landed on my radar as I was considering products for the Best of CES awards. I was helping to judge "age tech"—devices designed to help people as they age—and devices that assist with mobility were potentially in the running. But I was skeptical about whether consumer exoskeleton technology was mature enough to be safe and reliable, and whether people would realistically find exoskeletons convenient enough to use. Those are still open questions. In the end, we didn’t include any exoskeletons among our finalists, although I wouldn’t rule out the possibility for future years.
Many of the exoskeleton companies positioned their products as fitness tech, with companies like Ascentiz and Hypershell using images of hikers and athletes in their marketing. My colleague James Bricknell from CNET took a Hypershell exoskeleton for a hike on a nearby canyon trail during CES, and said that it helped him easily keep up with more experienced hikers. (I borrowed that exact exoskeleton from him when we ran into each other in CNET’s newsroom and took it out for some impromptu sprints in the hallway.)
First, since I know you all want to see what they looked like and hear how they felt, I’ll give you a tour of the ones I tried, ranked from my least to most favorite. Then, below, I’ll give some thoughts on whether I think exoskeletons are worthwhile, and what I learned after talking to an expert who uses medical grade exoskeletons for physical therapy in rehabilitation facilities.
Unimpressive: WiRobotics WIM-S ($1,905)
This minimalist unit from WiRobotics was the last one I tried before leaving CES, and I’m sorry to say it comes in last place in my ranking as well. By this point, I’d tried several other hip-based exoskeletons that fit well and provided a significant boost to my walking and stepping. I loved the slim profile and simple design of the WIM-S—that is, until I turned it on. I was led up and down a mini staircase in the WiRobotics booth a few times before it was time to hand over the device to the next person in line. The WIM-S just didn’t feel like it was doing much.
WiRobotics' design keeps the device fully in front of your hips, pushing down on the front of your leg. It feels a bit like when you push your hand against your knee to help you stand up. The WIM-S isn’t available for sale in the U.S. yet, but goes for the equivalent of $1,905 in South Korea.
I’m definitely feeling something: Sumbu ($1,199-$1,999)
I first tried a Sumbu exoskeleton at CES Unveiled, a media preview event that occurs a few days before the show officially opens. For the first time that week, but not the last, I had people help me strap a belt around my waist and then they tightened cuffs around my legs just above my knees. Walking around, I could feel the device helping to move my legs; jogging in place, I commented that it would be nice if I could try these on stairs. Good news! The company’s real booth would have stairs.
I visited the booth later on, in CES’s “Eureka Park” area dedicated to startups. I walked up and down the provided mini stairs, and felt the exoskeleton helping me easily step up, even when I took the stairs two at a time. I also stepped up onto the top of the stair unit when I was standing next to it—three stairs tall, I think—slightly surprising the people at the booth. But the exoskeleton made it feel easy.
To be totally honest, this exoskeleton and the next two I list (Ascentiz and Hypershell) all had a similar fit and feel. It’s tough to rank them against each other based on just a few minutes of testing for each, so take my conclusions with a grain of salt.
Sumbu sells three models of exoskeletons: the lightweight S3 ($1,199), the more powerful S3 Pro ($1,499), and the “maximum power” S3 Ultra ($1,999).
Helping me run: Ascentiz ($1,499 and up)
Ascentiz makes a modular exoskeleton that can assist you at both the hip and the knee, but only the hip module was available for me to try. Hip exoskeletons seemed to be more popular; including Ascentiz, I tried four hip exoskeletons this week, and only found one each of knee and ankle exoskeletons (not including Ascentiz—you’ll see the knee exoskeleton I did try below).
Each exoskeleton basically treats a joint of your body as a hinge. Your knee is a natural hinge joint; your hip can move in different directions, but when you’re wearing an exoskeleton, it only assists you in forward and backward motion—hip extension and flexion, to put it in terms a physical therapist or fitness trainer would recognize. Hip-based exoskeletons assist your glutes in straightening your hip and/or assist your hip flexors in raising your leg in front of you.
Ascentiz wisely set up its booth at the edge of the show floor, near a set of steps and also near a not-too-crowded area where I could walk and jog. The exoskeleton helped me climb stairs, and then I took it back and forth for a couple of jogs and even attempted a sprint. It felt smooth and my movements felt natural, with the power assisting me at just the right time during each stride.
Ascentiz is currently running a Kickstarter for funding, and lists prices on its website. The H1 (hip) module is going for $699 to $999, and will have a suggested retail price of $1,499 to $1,999 depending on whether you go for the “Pro” or “Ultra” model. The knee module (K1) covers both knees and costs about $100 more. The full set, with both hip and knee assistance, will sell for $2,499 to $3,399.
Sprinting around the hallways like a goofball: Hypershell X Ultra ($1,999)
As I mentioned above, I borrowed my CNET colleague James Bricknell’s Hypershell X Ultra unit for a quick spin around the conference halls. I was impressed at how much its “beast mode” helped me do step-ups onto a chair, so then I decided to see if it could help me jog…and then run…and then sprint. And then attempt some quick turns and stops to see if it could keep up. (This was the first hip-based exoskeleton I tried to run in.)
To my surprise, it felt great. To be fair, the Ascentiz felt pretty good to run in, too. I didn’t have space to run in the Sumbu one. The Hypershell kept up with my movements and assisted seamlessly. The others would sometimes think I was taking a step when I was actually standing still; the Hypershell wasn’t as prone to these missteps.
Unlike some of the other exoskeletons on this list, the Hypershell is already on the market, and that’s probably why its technology feels a bit more mature. (It claims to be the first consumer outdoor exoskeleton.) The Hypershell X Ultra goes for $1,999 and the company’s lowest-price model is the Hypershell Go, at $899.
Going easy on my knees: Skip Mo/Go ($4,999)
I found the Skip booth in the AARP’s AgeTech Collaborative section. There, I tried a version of its Mo/Go exoskeleton, which is built into a pair of pants and operates at the knee. The pants hide leg cuffs, which feel a bit like a medical knee brace. The motorized unit snaps onto the outside of the pants, so it looks like you’re wearing normal hiking pants but with a robot’s joint at the side of your knee.
I had to change out of my jeans and into the special pants, and then I could snap on the motor and start climbing stairs and squatting. The feeling is different than on the hip exoskeletons, as you might imagine. The motor essentially acts as an extra quad muscle, helping to straighten my knee, and slowing me down as I’m descending stairs.
I went up and down the stairs. I did some squats in place. I sat down on a low seat and stood back up again. Having been through knee pain and knee surgery in the past, I instantly understood why this product would be in demand (and why it was one of AARP’s picks). The other exoskeletons try to decelerate you on the way down stairs, but this one really works. Sitting down, the robot knees helped me gently settle, rather than having that “plop” at the end of the motion that we all probably do without thinking about it.
I only ran a few steps, but the running didn’t feel great—you can tell it’s not meant for that motion, at least not yet. I didn’t find these as comfortable as the other exoskeletons I tried, because the cuffs were inside the pants. That meant I had them contacting my bare skin, where they got sweaty and seemed like they might chafe. It also wasn’t particularly easy to get the pants on—if I had mobility issues, I’d probably want help with that. The Skip representative mentioned that the exoskeleton can be removed from the pants and worn without them, which is probably what I’d do if I owned a pair.
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Skip’s Mo/Go isn’t available yet, but you can place a pre-order on the device now, which will eventually cost $4,999.
Putting a spring in my step: Dephy’s Sidekick ($4,500)
This was both the first and nearly the last exoskeleton I tried at CES. I took it for a quick spin at Unveiled and visited the booth in Eureka Park for a longer try-on later in the week.
Dephy calls its exoskeleton “powered footwear.” The Sidekick has two parts: a shoe with a carbon plate, and a robotic arm that hugs your shin just below the knee. Dephy worked with Nike, and both companies came up with their own version of the exoskeleton; you can see Nike’s version here, branded as “Project Amplify.”
The shoes can be worn on their own, and they’re cushy—I kept hearing people compare them to Hokas. They were certainly more comfortable than my own beat-up Nikes that I was wearing to get around the show halls. There’s a connector on the back, and the robotic arm hooks into it. If the arm were to detach while you’re wearing it, it would fall behind you, rather than in front.
The Dephy Sidekick assists your calf muscles in helping you walk. They don’t start to assist until you’ve walked several steps, but then I felt them lift my heel on every step. The device doesn’t help you lift your foot, but it does help you to flex your foot downward, pushing you forward as you walk. Dephy says it targeted this movement since the calf muscles are “unsung heroes” of walking, providing most of the energy.
I took a few steps at Unveiled, and even did a sprint through the crowd. Running felt weird, but not necessarily bad. Later, taking a longer walk through Eureka Park, I could definitely believe that Dephy’s ankle-based exoskeleton would save me more work and fatigue than the hip-based models I mentioned earlier.
Overall this design felt the best thought-out and most comfortable of all the exoskeletons I tried. The places where it attached to my body were the shoe and a pad on the front of my shin—both very comfortable, and easily worn over my normal socks and pants. The device hooks on quickly, and the battery packs slip in and out without any fuss.
I worried about the quick motion of the motor pulling me (or, hypothetically, an older person with mobility issues) off balance, but the way the device is programmed, that seems a lot less likely than I assumed. The motor only kicks in while you’re walking forward, and stops assisting when it detects a sideways, backward, or otherwise unexpected step. At one point I dodged around somebody’s dog in a cramped corner of the show floor, and the Sidekick stopped assisting for those few steps, then went right back to helping me move forward.
The Sidekick starts shipping later this month, and the starter pack, including the shoes, batteries, and a charger, costs $4,500.
How useful are exoskeletons, really?
Before I can say that exoskeletons are useful in the real world, I’d have to know that they work, that they’re worth the cost, and that they make sense for the people who are most likely to want them.
Trying them on convinced me that they do, in fact, work. Five out of six (sorry, WiRobotics) gave assistance that felt helpful and useful. I wasn’t sure that they’d pass even this low bar, so I’m already impressed.
Cost is a problem, though. Who is going to spend $1,000 to $5,000 for a little assistance in walking or hiking? Serious hikers and runners would probably rather train harder to handle tough terrain and spend the money on gear or coaching. People who don’t normally hike might enjoy keeping up with their friends, but what non-hiker is going to spend that kind of money on a hiking exoskeleton?
I could definitely see exoskeletons in a rental market—borrow a Hypershell unit to hike up a scenic mountain on vacation, or wear Dephy’s powered footwear to stay on your feet longer in a theme park (remembering that you’d need to swap out the batteries once or twice during the day).
After trying the devices and frowning at the cost, my biggest question was whether exoskeletons could be useful for people with mobility issues due to disability or chronic health conditions. And to get a better sense of that, I talked to someone who has been working with exoskeletons in a medical setting for years.
How these consumer exoskeletons compare to medical devices
Amanda Clark, director of Good Shepherd Creates, is a physical therapist by training. Good Shepherd is a rehabilitation network that has been using exoskeletons in physical therapy for over 10 years, including the Ekso Bionics robotic suit used for physical therapy sessions, the Trexo Plus for children, and the ReWalk personal device that people can take home.
These exoskeletons can help people to walk who may not have been able to walk on their own before, or who are recovering from strokes or brain or spinal cord injuries. The more steps you get in, the better your nervous system gets at learning how to balance and walk.
Clark told me that the models that are used in rehab may cost a facility around $250,000, plus another 10% of that per year for maintenance. Typically a person needs a device like a walker or crutches to use them, and must have a person assisting them—such as a physical therapist at a rehab facility, or a family member in the case of the few personal exoskeletons that are now on the medical market.
Getting an exoskeleton approved as a medical device takes a lot of time and money for the manufacturer, Clark explained. Medical devices need to undergo a type of FDA approval similar to that for drugs. The manufacturer has to show that they use good manufacturing processes, and they have to run clinical trials showing that the device is safe, and then that it is effective for a specific medical condition.
That explains why the company reps I talked to were very careful to say that they made a “consumer” or “recreational” or “athletic” device, and not a medical device. But consumer devices can’t usually be covered by insurance, which puts a pretty big barrier in the way of access. People with disabilities and chronic conditions—especially if they have trouble working—usually don’t have a thousands of dollars to drop on devices like these.
With the particular models I saw being so new, if I were in that position, I’d also be nervous about whether the devices work as promised, whether they’re safe, and whether the company would stay in business over the years to provide support in case anything goes wrong.
But as a technology with room to grow, there’s definitely a possibility that these devices could become useful and worthwhile for people with mobility issues. Clark said she’s happy to see the technological progress that has been made to get these devices small and light enough to be wearable outside the clinic.
Still, she sees cost as a major barrier. “My challenge to these companies is: how do you create something that is user friendly, that is slim profile, that could really promote these changes in independence and quality of life—but at a price point or in a way that is accessible to them?”
That’s where I land as well. The technology is promising, but at the current price point, I’m not sure that they’re accessible to enough people with mobility issues, or worthwhile enough for athletes. But since the devices I tried are new to the consumer market, I’m looking forward to seeing if there are improvements in price and technology in the years to come.