$5,000 Exoskeleton Pants Promise to Make You a Better Hiker

'The linked article is pretty much a press release, but it's still interesting to see the promise of exoskeletons starting to infiltrate the mass market,' writes longtime Slashdot reader Baron_Yam. 'These rigs cost $5,000, weigh only a few pounds, and go for multiple hours on a charge.' Gizmodo reports: With the MO/GO exoskeleton hiking pants, a traipse through the mountains is becoming more mechanical, not to mention expensive. The MO/GO (short for 'Mountain Goat') is a joint effort with established outdoor apparel makers Arc'Teryx and the tech startup Skip. Remember Samsung's exoskeleton pants concepts? These are kind of like that, though Skp and Arc'Teryx's first commercial product covers up all those glaring metal bits with an already-pricey pair of designer hiking pants. The MO/GO is supposed to push you 40% harder, according to the company. What does that mean in context? Fast Company rolled around in them for a hike and found the exoskeleton took a lot of weight off the knee, cushioned footfalls, and kicked the leg forward when tackling an incline.

Two braces go into each leg, while the 3-hour power pack sits at the belt line just above your posterior. The MO/GO is a pair of Arc'teryx Gamma pants with cuffs to snap Skip's carbon fiber exoskeletal thighs onto the outside of each leg, which should impact your quadriceps and hamstring muscles. The companies claim each ligament weighs 2 pounds, with the pants in total clocking in at 7 pounds, but instead of adding weight the arms absorb the impact of each step, enough to make users feel '30 pounds lighter.' On Skip's site, you can see an internal look at how the motors spin every time the user raises their knee. The pants are supposed to have an on-board algorithm to handle stairs or a steep incline differently. You don't control it with an app either. There are three buttons on the pants: an on/off switch, as well as 'less assistance' and 'more assistance' toggles.

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