My favourite thing about covering tech is finding something new. Take mobile phones. I had found them utterly boring, but then a new form factor comes along; folding phones. Something new in tech shouldn’t be taken for granted, and I certainly couldn’t take the new Hypershell exoskeleton for granted.
Hypershell invited me along to IFA Berlin to test out the new Hypershell X Ultra exoskeleton that launched at the conference.
What is an Exoskelton?
New form factor? New category? We better start with the basics here. An exoskeleton is a mechanical device to support human motion. They are not a new concept, even outside of sci-fi movies (Wallace and Gromit’s The Wrong Trousers comes to mind).
Exoskeletons have been found in factories, supporting workers complete repetitive motions and removing strain on muscles and joints.
Hypershell has entered the fray as a consumer-focused exoskeleton. The target is (somewhat counterintuitively) really active people, though some rehab or accessibility benefits are undeniable.
But yes, Hypershell is targeting those who love walking, hiking, running and even cycling with the new Hypershell X Ultra.
The Hypershell X Ultra
I’m not sure what hall of IFA was the best for Hypershell to be in, between the likes of “Mobility” and “Fitness” on show, but it was in the latter. Hypershell has designed the X Ultra exoskeleton, according to CEO Kelvin Sun, to help people “go the extra mile” and to “enable personal achievement”.
The great news is that I didn’t have to wait long to get my hands on this exoskeleton. In fact, just yesterday I got to wear one for a few hours around Berlin, including a relatively steep hike up Teufelsberg Hill.
Design
The Hypershell X Ultra is ultimately a waistband with leg straps, motors and battery packs. Getting into your Hypershell for the first time takes a little bit some adjustments as you want the fit to be tight, secure but comfortable.
When you look at the exoskeleton, it looks rather cumbersome but it’s quite balanced when you put it on. I was rather surprised that the rear battery pack wasn’t uncomfortable even in the Uber that brought us over to Teufelsberg Hill.
The X Ultra weights about 2kg and despite being rather tight I felt the waistband did slip down a little as I walked. Admittedly, I’m a rotund gentleman so this may have been a factor. The clothes I was wearing probably weren’t ideal either (pair of shorts, T-shirt and overshirt). If I was buying one of these, I’d spend some time getting the perfect clothes to wear with it. Maybe some shorter shorts and an Under Armour style base-layer for example. I could imagine wearing it in the cold with longer pants would actually be perfect.
Overall, I feel like if I owned one of these, spent some time finding the best attire and some time on getting my fit perfect, the Hypershell X Ultra would be barely noticeable on a hike and quick to get into. But at the chaos of a tech conference, I couldn’t spend that kind of time getting ready.
I couldn’t help but feel that suspenders were a missed opportunity, and sure enough the Hypershell team confirmed this is something they are working on to provide added comfort. In my opinion, this will be a game changer.
As a result, I was aware that I was wearing an exoskeleton. But as the hike went on, there was a smile on my face that meant I get forgetting about it. I feel obliged to highlight these mild inconveniences but please don’t let them take from how cool this product is.
You can control the X Ultra either using the companion app or using the on-device button. I found it fairly intuitive too. The single button, through a series of single, double or long taps, changes through the modes I’ll go into below. The app adds an even easier layer of control, insight into remaining power and also showing you what type exercise the device thinks you’re doing. You can also manually specify what you’re doing too.
From here on, I’m getting more into functionality instead of design, so let’s flip over to that.
Functionality
On paper, the Hypershell X Ultra makes some promises that, honestly, I won’t have time to validate on the trip to Berlin. The kit has two batteries, each should provide 42,000 steps per battery over 60km overall. Hypershell says that the exoskeleton reduces physical exertion by 20% when walking and up to 39% when cycling. This is all thanks to the motors on either side of your hip, reaching a 1000 W of power.
On paper, I’m sure all of this is very impressive. I couldn’t imagine hitting 42,000 steps across a few days let alone before I’m near a charger again. I’d probably get away with one battery for most wears. But the reality of actually wearing the Hypershell X Ultra was mind blowing.
The X Ultra has several power settings: Eco, Hyper, Fitness and Transparent. The Hypershell team knew what how to demo this unit. We hiked up what was a significant but somewhat accessible hill. Not wild, but not easy. I had my exoskeleton set to Hyper and immediately felt the support it was offering.
From your waist, there’s a beam strapped on just above your knee. The motor on your hip rotates on your hip, kind of flicking your leg out. Through the app and onboard smarts, Hypershell’s algorithms learn your movements and predict your intended motions to react in sync with your body. It is quick, and feels natural.
You eventually forget you’re wearing an exoskeleton and you’re, well you’re just walking. Despite spending a few days walking in Berlin I was just chatting away to the others on the walk, still losing some breath because I was getting some cardio done, but my legs didn’t feel tired.
After a brief pause, the team asked me to try Transparent mode. This turns off the support so you’re back on you 100% human-powered legs. Now, I’ve seen a few YouTubers talking about the Hypershell and, honestly, I thought they had all been hamming up the reaction a bit to get clicks.
They weren’t.
I tapped into transparent mode as I walked and nearly fell over. My legs were heavy and sluggish. I’ve described it as feeling like I was on another planet with 4x gravity. It was the weirdest sensation to know this feeling of heavy calves was how my body normally felt.
I really didn’t think that the Hypershell was doing “that much” on the hike up. I could feel the support, but couldn’t quantify it. Until I tapped that Transparent mode button and suddenly I was wading through treacle. My mind was blown – and you can double down on it too with Fitness mode.
Fitness mode lets you use the X Ultra’s motors against yourself. You have active resistance when walking. If you’ve ever walked through waist-deep water, that’s what it feels like.
Experience in the Hypershell X Ultra
My overall experience with the X Ultra was impressive. I’m not going to say it was perfect, given I still think I needed more time to get my fit perfect, but it did break my brain a few times.
The most impressive moments of my couple of hours in an exoskeleton came when it wasn’t supporting me. That first time I turned on Transparent mode caused me to curse loudly in shock. I couldn’t believe how my legs felt.
But the second time was after our Uber dropped us back to IFA. Walking around Messe Berlin again, my legs were so tired. Then I realised this is how they should feel at a tech conference (you do a lot of steps at IFA). Yet, hiking up a hill my legs felt totally fine over the past few hours.
This was the rewiring in my brain of what the X Ultra was really doing. As many Robocop jokes as I made about the exoskeleton, the reality is that it supported me (an extremely unfit tech reviewer) in getting up a relatively steep mountain. I did get out of breath and sweat, but my legs weren’t anywhere near as tired as they should have been.
As fun as the experience was and the novelty of a new form factor aside, the Hypershell X Ultra had just made hiking considerable more accessible for me. And that’s saying something.
Hypershell X Ultra: The Goosed Verdict
It’s important to caveat this as a review conducted in a few hours and I hope to come back to this with a longer review.
But in just a few hours wearing the Hypershell X Ultra – I got it. A lot of that realisation it retrospective. By that I mean, the X Ultra just gets you through your hike or walk without you paying it much attention. But then you take it off and you realise just how much power it was transferring into your body.
It’s a wild feeling, and you’d be forgiven for thinking this was a gimmick. But it’s not. Feeling how tired my legs were when I came back to IFA made me realise just how much extra walking I was doing without feeling tired legs. The only thing that could have been making that difference was the Hypershell X Ultra.
Now, it’s a considered purchase. I’ll update with confirmed pricing, but the Hypershell X Ultra will cost about €2000. The company does offer other exoskeletons starting at €899 too. But the price, while premium, will be justified to many who are active hikers looking to get further without breaks or reducing recovering time.
There are countless other use cases beyond hiking I can think off too from people with certain disabilities to rehabilitation – but it’s not my area of expertise so I won’t waffle on about it.
While exercise probably isn’t my area of expertise either, I’m going to close with this. Don’t be under any illusions here; exercise with the exoskeleton is absolutely still exercise. You’ll sweat and be out of breath, but you’ll absolutely do more. Essentially, the Hypershell X Ultra is like cycling with the support of an e-bike motor, but for walking.
You can watch my initial impressions over on Instagram too.
Disclosure: I’m on a hosted trip at IFA with Hypershell. That means we get access to the device, but also some travel, accommodation and food covered too.
