$5,000 AI Pants: This Company Wants to Rent Hikers an Exoskeleton (cnn.com) 40
"Technical outerwear brand Arc'teryx and wearable technology startup Skip have teamed up to create exoskeleton hiking pants, powered by AI..." reports CNN.
After four years of collaboration and testing, the two companies plan to start selling the battery-powered pants in 2025 for $5,000 — but they're also "available to rent and try out now," according to CNN's video report:
"You can think of it like an e-bike for walking..." says Skip's co-founder and chief product officer Anna Roumiantseva. "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." ("And then supports their knees on the way down," says Cam Stuart, Arc'Teryx's advanced concepts team manager for research and engineering.)
Kathryn Zealand, Skip Co-founder and CEO adds, "There's a lot of artificial intelligence built into these pants," with Roumiantseva explaining that technology "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..."
Stuart: I think when people think of what an exoskeleton is, they think of this big bionic frame or they think it's like Avatar or something like that. The challenge for us really was how do we put that in a pair of pants...?"
Co-founder Roumiantseva: We've done a lot of work to make a lot of the complicated and sophisticated technology that goes into it look and feel as approachable and as similar to a garment as possible.
Co-founder Zealand: And so maybe you think about them like a pair of pants.
CNN points out it isn't the only "recreational exoskeleton." (Companies like Dnsys and Hypershell have even "developed their own lightweight exoskeletons — through Kickstarter campaigns.")
But beyond recreation, this also has applications for people with disabilities. "Movement and mobility, it's such a huge driver of quality of life, it's such a huge driver of joy," says Skip's co-founder and chief product officer. "It does become a luxury — and that's a huge part of why we're building what we're building. Is we don't think it should be."
Kathryn Zealand, Skip Co-founder and CEO adds, "There's a lot of artificial intelligence built into these pants," with Roumiantseva explaining that technology "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..."
Stuart: I think when people think of what an exoskeleton is, they think of this big bionic frame or they think it's like Avatar or something like that. The challenge for us really was how do we put that in a pair of pants...?"
Co-founder Roumiantseva: We've done a lot of work to make a lot of the complicated and sophisticated technology that goes into it look and feel as approachable and as similar to a garment as possible.
Co-founder Zealand: And so maybe you think about them like a pair of pants.
CNN points out it isn't the only "recreational exoskeleton." (Companies like Dnsys and Hypershell have even "developed their own lightweight exoskeletons — through Kickstarter campaigns.")
But beyond recreation, this also has applications for people with disabilities. "Movement and mobility, it's such a huge driver of quality of life, it's such a huge driver of joy," says Skip's co-founder and chief product officer. "It does become a luxury — and that's a huge part of why we're building what we're building. Is we don't think it should be."
And when... (Score:2)
Lets just put this one in with Musks Tesla Truck...
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You know that e-bikes exist since years right?
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So this will cause as many forest fires as e-bikes do.
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https://www.npr.org/2023/03/11... [npr.org]
They pose a significantly higher risk than just walking/cycling, and serious mountain bikers would not be seen dead on an e-bike.
The vast majority of bikes are used in the urban environment.
Also the exoskeleton is being used by the disabled , not just the unfit , so getting people out of the thing is much more difficult.
Would you trust it on a mountain trail? (Score:2)
I don't know what kind of fail-safe stuff they've got built into this thing, but it could be a big problem if it malfunctions at the wrong time in the wrong place.
I'm sure it's for tourist traps (Score:2)
That said I question whether or not these would really be worth it in terms of the weight of the battery versus the amount of assist. I have an exactly been keeping up with this technology but I know a few years ago unless you were connected to the mains for something like manufacturing then it wasn't worth it.
This defeats the point of hiking (Score:3)
Re:This defeats the point of hiking (Score:4, Interesting)
Why not adapt or market this to industrial workers who could use something to help reduce stress on their bodies and enable them to be productive for longer?
Probably because the cost/benefits don't pencil out for industrial use. But rich hikers don't care so much about the cost as long it lets them do something they tdeem too much effort otherwise.
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Old people have a lot of money. Hiking/walking may be one of the few activities they (can) still enjoy. With this, they are able to enjoy it for longer.
E-bikes are also very empowering for older people, hence the "You can think of it like an e-bike for walking..."
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Nobody really thinks its ultimate goal is to be a hiking aid for able-bodied people.
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It's been done before (Score:5, Funny)
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A warning video maybe.. (Score:2)
What's the point? (Score:2)
Want to get to the top of the mountain with minimum effort? Hire a helicopter.
And of course it has to include the AI buzzword in the product description.
Quick question (Score:2)
Want to get to the top of the mountain with minimum effort? Hire a helicopter.
Apropos of nothing, which mountain peaks can a helicopter land on?
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which mountain peaks can a helicopter land on?
Apparently the Everest is among the possibilities if you can hire a test pilot crazy enough https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... [wikipedia.org]
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Even then, anyone using one of these gizmos to climb a peak within the 48 states is not in a position to brag about accomplishing something.
Re:What's the point? (Score:4, Funny)
Their ad shows seniors. Maybe people who used to enjoy hiking but now find it more difficult as their abilities decline. Maybe seniors who want to continue enjoying the view, or share their passion with their grandchildren. The comparison with helicopters is silly, how many helicopter trips can you buy for 5000 dollars? Are there even helicopters to rent in your area?
My ageing colleague used to cycle a lot, until he got heart issues, and now got an electric bicycle to continue cycling to work every day. I used to run up and down the touristic staircase that goes to the church uphill every week, but I go much less often as my knees now hurt. Just like the e-bike makes sense to my colleague, their exoskeleton makes sense to me, though I'll wait to see if it becomes a bit more affordable.
Death Stranding (Score:4, Funny)
Hideo Kojima wants his idea back.
Garsh, where have I heard this before? (Score:2)
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I'm not in the best shape (Score:2)
But I think I'd rather train up those muscle groups for a hike than rent some weird uncomfortable exosuit. Does it even work with my phone when I lose mobile signal?
I'm pretty jaded on technology these days. A lot of it doesn't really work all that reliability, mostly because software has gotten overly complicated. Startups these days try to ship a proof of concept without actually investing research and development time to sort out how people will actually use it.
If you want to spent a bunch of money. REI
Why do trousers suddenly need AI? (Score:2)
I can go all day, baby. (Score:2)
When I go hiking I'm out in the mountains from 8am till 8pm and usually cover about 30km across and 2000m up and down. I'm not interested in their product unless they can offer remote, drone-supported charging as a part of the package.
Those who designed this, never hiked themselves (Score:2)
Remote terrain, unpredictable conditions, narrow spaces. Every hiker knows this. Feels like Arc'teryx execs are trying to peddle a product that would be a hinderance and not a benefit. But what would you expect from people who clearly never hiked a day in their life? Feels like they're trying to find a purpose for their product rather than product for a purpose.
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Walking downhill is actually more exhausting and tolling on your joints than uphill. It's actually a hiking wisdom that you can use to tell who is an experienced hiker and who is new in the group. If you start a walk and you hear moaning on the very first hill, you know someone is new and will be completely unsufferable on the way back.
Is AI needed? (Score:2)
To me, the real advance is the mechanical assist system. The control of that system could be done with AI or with some other control system based on mathematical models or an expert rule-based system. It's sort of like trying to build an AI e-bike. Yes, AI could control the bike propulsion, and it might even be able to do it better than the alternatives, but it's not absolutely necessary. Well, not necessary for functionality, but maybe necessary for marketing.
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Like a Stanford MBA school project (Score:2)
Not really, but sort of. The CEO of this company has a CV that reads like a typical bay area venture capitalist, and not like someone who invented an exoskeleton.
The most likely thing here is a rather dull version of Batmanâ(TM)s Tumbler, a defense or medical product that never connected with an actual market, and NRE which has already been written off. Somebody with money to burn wants to try and create a market.
It might be a terrible product or a mediocre one. Or it might be amazing, but the
It is as the prophecy foretold (Score:1)
We're circling back to Three Dead Trolls in a Baggie's "Behind the scenes at Microsoft" sketch [youtube.com].
I think this one was written in 2002.
exoskeleton. NOT really !! (Score:2)
When this was first posted here 3 months ago... (Score:2)
I don't want recreational applications (Score:2)
I am suffering from osteoarthritis. I would rather need an appliance that enables me to walk more than a mile without pain. 5000$ would be small change compared to what I would pay for that.