AI jeans? It’s happening after Arc’teryx, a technical outerwear brand, and Skip, a wearable robotics startup, combined creative efforts to fashion exoskeleton hiking pants powered by AI.
The recent launch of MO/GO, short for “Mountain Goat,” is being hailed as the world’s first pair of battery-powered hiking pants, Its design uses an exoskeleton attached to the wearer’s legs via a special pair of Arc’teryx Gamma pants. The product is scheduled to ship in late 2025 for — grab your wallet — $5,000.
Spun out of Google X as an independent company in 2023, Skip creates “movewear,” clothing that supports those with mobility challenges such as age, fatigue or injury.
“For me, it was my granny who used to walk everywhere. She’d walk to the shops, walk to the cafe, walk to church, to bridge club, to flower-arranging club and all the adorable things that grannies do,” Skip Chief Executive and Co-Founder Kathryn Zealand said in an interview. “Until one day, she couldn’t anymore. Her whole world started getting smaller that day. This is a very common story, but until I’d seen it happen to someone I loved, I hadn’t appreciated how much being able to confidently move around your community is critical to your overall quality of life.”
Skip’s 2-pound robotic motor can be snapped on and off of Arc’teryx Gamma pants for one or both legs. Adjustable carbon fiber cuffs transfer energy from the motors to pant legs. The motors have two purposes: Up to 40% more power for climbing while lessening impact on joints. The contraption makes climbers feel 30 pounds lighter, according to Skip. Arc’teryx Gamma pants are fitted to integrate Skip’s leg supports and motors seamlessly.
“You can think of it like an e-bike for walking,” Anna Roumiantseva, Skip co-founder and chief product officer, told CNN. “On the way up, it really kind of offloads some of those big muscle groups that are working their hardest. We like to say it gives you about 40% more power in your legs on the way up with every step.”
The computer module predicts the wearer’s movement and adjusts its assistance via the unit’s three-button interface.
Zealand said there is “a lot of artificial intelligence built into these pants.” The technology, she adds, “understands how you move, predicts how you’re going to want to move next — and then assists you in doing that, so that the assistant doesn’t feel like you’re walking to the beat of the robot or is moving independently.”
“We experimented with lots of ideas and ultimately converged on movewear as a new category of products that actively power movement, but are as comfortable and intuitive to wear as clothing,” she added. “We’re starting with knee support for hiking, but are also in research trials for a variety of more medical movement challenges.”
MO/GO is the latest manifestation of exoskeletons, a technology that started in the 1960s to help people lift heavy objects in the military, and construction and has since spilled into several industries besides outdoor equipment.
The technology is considered an essential tool in assisting an estimated 12% of the U.S. population with issues walking and climbing stairs. Some 1.3 billion people worldwide face mobility disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Examples of mechanical support devices based on the concept are growing in visibility.
At the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics this summer, athlete Kevin Piette, a paraplegic for 11 years, walked with the aid of a robotic exoskeleton while carrying the Olympic Torch.
Startup German Bionic recently refreshed its lightweight exosuit product line with Apogee+, which aids nurses and other health care professionals as a “personal lift assistant” for patients. The robo-suit offers almost 70 pounds of back relief per lift so health care workers can provide assistance for the elderly and infirm to get treatments and bathe.
Meanwhile, researchers at Harvard University and Boston University are creating a soft, wearable robot exoskeleton to promote walking among Parkinson’s patients. The wearable device uses cable-driven motors and sensors worn around the waist and thighs. Algorithms use motion data collected by the sensors to estimate a person’s gait and provide assistance in tandem with muscle movement.
And the market seems rife for even more.
Despite its steep price, MO/GO has already sold out the first few months of production when it ships next year. Skip plans newer models; it is working on a separate product for those with Parkinson’s disease, according to Zealand.
“Our hope is that costs will come down with scale,” Zealand told Techstrong Group. “We are launching with a MSRP of $5,000 at the moment, with a $500 discount for anyone who pre-orders this fall.”
