[HN Gopher] Skip and Arc'teryx built a futuristic exoskeleton
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Skip and Arc'teryx built a futuristic exoskeleton
Author : coderintherye
Score : 97 points
Date : 2024-07-26 16:44 UTC (6 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.fastcompany.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.fastcompany.com)
| whywhywhywhy wrote:
| https://archive.is/iKGjx
| 0xcafefood wrote:
| This is actually really cool. A device that will help take strain
| off people's legs while recovering from an injury, or let people
| stay active longer in life or longer throughout the day could
| have a huge impact on society, if they can bring it to market at
| a price affordable enough for many people to have one.
| jeltz wrote:
| Both for good and bad. For a leg to heal properly you need to
| put the right amount of strain on it. Not too little and not
| too much.
| datameta wrote:
| Likewise joints that are repairing need to be utilized just
| enough so that blood and lymph circulation can bring
| nutrients and repair materials while carrying away by-
| products of repair thereby not letting it concentrate through
| sedentariness.
| ghostpepper wrote:
| Maybe the robot-joint could be used as rehab to automatically
| put progressively more weight on the leg as it heals
| orbital-decay wrote:
| This makes me think about a e-bike with a control
| system/transmission that helps you maintain constant output
| power for a workout, applying resistance or assistance as
| needed.
| TestingWithEdd wrote:
| $4500 now, so we could see alternatives on the market by 2030
| around the $500 mark (fingers crossed)
| twalla wrote:
| If you frame this in the context of existing outdoor recreation
| equipment like skis and mountain bikes and then factor in
| something like FSA/HSA eligibility this is more attainable than
| I was initially expecting.
| charlie0 wrote:
| What does HSA/FSA have to do with mountain bikes? Are they
| eligible?
| mikestew wrote:
| Generally speaking, exercise equipment is not eligible.
| However, one can get a "letter of necessity" from a doctor.
| I have no idea how hard that would be.
|
| But I believe GP's point was that _if_ such a thing became
| eligible for HSA purchase, it would make it much more
| attainable.
| sitkack wrote:
| Depending on how much fitment it requires, would be great for a
| rental. This isn't something that folks that need it for hiking
| would be using all the time.
| twalla wrote:
| Not sure why this in particular does it for me but the thought
| that in my old age I'll be able to continue enjoying the outdoors
| with an Arc'Teryx branded exoskeleton that they might sell next
| to the hiking poles at REI really gives off some "holy crap I'm
| living in the future" energy.
| milleramp wrote:
| Just rode demo e-mtn bike, it was amazing. Not ready to make
| the switch just yet, but for people whose choice is doing
| nothing or using these assistants it's great.
| stronglikedan wrote:
| When you're ready to make the switch, I recommend converting
| your own with a Bafang mid-drive to avoid vendor lock-in. A
| lot of LBS's won't even touch pre-builts, and if you work on
| your own bike you can work on a conversion just as easily.
| RandallBrown wrote:
| I wonder what the battery life is like.
|
| Things like this will be awesome to get people out hiking more,
| but it could also get people into some trouble if it dies and
| they're too far away to make it out on their own.
| bwanab wrote:
| I'm in my 70s with two knees that have experienced the ravages of
| too much tennis and running. This looks like a godsend if it
| works!
| apwell23 wrote:
| curious have you tried compression pants with wires in them
| like stoko.
| bwanab wrote:
| No, but looks interesting. Thanks for the pointer.
| ray__ wrote:
| Looking forward to walking to the corner store in my Arc'teryx x
| Kith exoskeleton. Jokes aside, this is really cool. I hope I
| won't need one for a while, and look forward to the engineering
| improvements when I do need one.
| mhb wrote:
| No video?
| islaydog wrote:
| there's a video on their instragram and linkedin posts, but
| weird to not link the article
| https://www.instagram.com/reel/C93Nec8MTH0/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWF...
| https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7222666...
| user568439 wrote:
| A bit offtopic but does anyone know of an exoskeleton that offers
| full body support? My wife has Long Covid and she can walk 1 km
| at a very slow pace but further than that she must use a
| wheelchair.
|
| I would love to find an exoskeleton for her but it has to be
| comfortable and able to support her back and neck since she can't
| cope with her own body standing for very long. I would be willing
| to spend a significant amount if it makes her life better.
| apwell23 wrote:
| Not quite what you are looking for but I use stoko for skiing
|
| https://stoko.com/
| 082349872349872 wrote:
| dual-use: allows your able-bodied infantry to carry even more (at
| least if part of that weight is comprised of sufficient
| batteries?)
| jandrese wrote:
| This seems like more of an edge case to me. You still have to
| hold the weight with your arms (even if assisted) and balance
| your center of mass. There is only a narrow range between where
| an able person doesn't really need the help and where the
| pallet jack/fork lift is a better solution. This is especially
| true when you consider what happens if you drop the item in
| question. There are certainly cases where a solution like this
| is perfect, but I think they'll be rather niche.
| maxglute wrote:
| Then you'd want a hip/back structures to help alleviate load
| which also helps with lugging around more batteries.
| apwell23 wrote:
| > I have zero doubt that mini exoskeletons like MO/GO will soon
| be an essential part of our lives
|
| high praise for something with no video :/
| NN88 wrote:
| Military.
| A_D_E_P_T wrote:
| Interesting that Arc'Teryx is owned by Chinese conglomerate Anta
| Sports, yet chooses to partner with an American firm on this.
| It's interesting because China is way ahead in this particular
| field, and already dominates in civilian exoskeleton production.
|
| This sort of Chinese product is starting to find its way to the
| West: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hypershell/one-
| horsepow...
|
| ...But there are a dozen firms in China that make similar
| products that are already commercially available, e.g.:
| https://www.kenqingkeji.com/product_details/14.html
|
| At a glance, the style of exoskeleton favored by Chinese firms is
| a hip exoskeleton which assists in raising/swinging the leg,
| whereas the MO/GO is a knee exoskeleton which assists with
| straightening the leg and putting one's foot forward. From a
| metabolic cost perspective, the Chinese style is markedly
| superior in most scenarios save for climbing. Presumably the
| MO/GO is mountaineering oriented, whereas most of the hip
| exoskeletons are mobility oriented.
| RandallBrown wrote:
| I'm guessing Skip approached them.
|
| I also imagine that the Anta Sports ownership is far enough
| removed from day to day operations at Arc'teryx that they
| wouldn't even know this kind of thing was happening.
| islaydog wrote:
| Maybe also for people specifically with knee pain? my parents
| complain about stairs the most, so a hip devices wouldn't be as
| good for them?
| maxglute wrote:
| > mountaineering oriented
|
| One would think hip designs be integrated to lighten backpack
| load.
|
| From article:
|
| >We heard a lot from people who felt self-conscious, who didn't
| want a brace or walking stick but loved hiking poles and things
| that looked like [outdoor] gear
|
| Rule of cool. It does look very cool though.
| generalizations wrote:
| > They cause the pants to balloon out when you look at them,
| almost like a crinoline dress on your legs. (Seeing photos of
| myself wearing MO/GO later, I'm actually surprised how subtle it
| looks on my body, because the sensation of wearing the bracers is
| comfortable, but by no means subtle.)
|
| Notice there are zero front-facing images of what the exoskeleton
| looks like. This is very, very cool but I wonder if they'll need
| to refine the aesthetics further before they see widespread
| usage, even within their target market.
| folli wrote:
| Maybe it's my age, but I'll out myself as luddite.
|
| Please don't. I'm already seeing how e-bikes brought multitudes
| of people to places that were 10 years ago empty and peaceful as
| they used to require effort to reach. Now e-legs will be bring
| people were e-bikes couldn't reach yet...
| nullstyle wrote:
| I have nothing but disdain for opinions like the above.
| Assistive technology is a boon, and anyone who gets out into
| the open and public spaces by way of these gadgets will
| benefit. If you want your solitude, get further out or buy some
| space for yourself; public lands shouldn't be for the able-
| bodied alone.
| pedalpete wrote:
| Being from Whistler, this was a contentious point of view.
| However, the outdoors are to be enjoyed by everyone.
|
| The danger is that assisted bikes (and possibly legs) can get
| people far enough out in the wilderness, that a dead battery
| can lead them into significant trouble.
|
| Sure, this can happen without the assistance, but it's more
| difficult to get out of your depths.
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