Hikers who want a boost on the climb can now buy one.
Several companies sell wearable motors that help lift the legs, and the newest models reach past the hip to the knee.
Hypershell, the best-known maker, introduced the Halo at the IFA electronics show in Berlin in September. It has four motors, one at each hip and knee, that work together as a single system on a mostly carbon fiber frame. According to Hypershell, the motion-control software learns each wearer's stride over time and adjusts its timing to match. A voice assistant in the companion app handles settings and route planning, and the frame folds small enough to fit in a backpack. The first 200 units are priced at $2,299, with deliveries beginning in November. The company's earlier hip-only models cost less.
The other name in the category is MO/GO, from Skip, a company spun out of Google's X lab, working with the outdoor brand Arc'teryx. Carbon fiber cuffs inside a pair of Arc'teryx hiking pants connect to a motor that snaps on at each knee. Skip compares it to an electric bicycle: the climb gets easier, but the hiker still does the walking. The system, including pants, costs about $5,000, and the shipping date has already slipped from late 2025 into 2026.
Both companies present these as outdoor gear, not medical equipment. Skip says MO/GO is not FDA approved and is not a medical device. Hypershell says the same of its line and adds that a wearer has to be able to walk, lift both legs, and balance without help.
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader’s money, real estate, and business coverage.
