Running up that hill (with robot legs): I took the new Hypershell X exoskeleton hiking aids for a test drive up London’s most picturesque peak
Iron Man, eat your heart out
I’ve been running up the hill from Greenwich Park’s St Mary’s Gate to the breathtaking peak at the Royal Observatory since probably the age of four. It was a local park for my family growing up, and I’d race my younger brother to the top before barrelling down after my favourite Action Man figure in his battle tank on the way back.
It was always great fun — even the time said tank flipped behind me causing me to roll and scrape most of the way back down — and always a healthy challenge, leaving you rewarded with a still-breathtaking view over the Queen’s House and National Maritime Museum, and into the financial heart of the Docklands beyond.
Closer now to age forty than four, that hill has a bit more bite to it, and years parked at my desk rather than in the park mean that I’d rather be listening to the Kate Bush song than actually running up that hill.
But a new gadget torn straight from the pages of a Marvel Comic has just made that hilltop challenge not only a breeze, but gives its users the confidence to take on even tougher outdoor goals.
The new Hypershell X Series is one of the first consumer-focused powered exoskeletons to hit the UK, and while it might look like something borrowed from a cyberpunk film, its ambitions are much more practical. It's designed to make walking, hiking and climbing hills less physically demanding, helping users go further while feeling less fatigued.
So I strapped in and set my sights on that good old hill to see what the fuss is about.
An electric boost for your legs
The Hypershell X Series straps around your waist and thighs, weighing around 1.7kg (which is distributed so evenly across your lower back and thighs that you hardly notice it), and uses a pair of electric motors to assist your hip movement as you walk. Rather than dragging you along, it works alongside your natural stride, giving you an extra robotic push with every step — think of it less like an electric bike and more like power steering for your legs.
The idea isn't that you stop putting in effort — the Hypershell X doesn’t do the walking for you. Instead, the exoskeleton reduces the amount of energy your muscles need to expend, particularly when you're climbing steep hills, carrying a heavy backpack or covering long distances.
According to Hypershell, independent testing found the gear can reduce oxygen consumption by up to 39% and lower heart rate by as much as 42%, potentially making demanding walks significantly less tiring, its motorised joints working with your legs’ own muscles to give an extra boost to your stride.
AI to help you do your job instead of stealing it
Almost every gadget launches with an AI story these days, but the Hypershell X literally couldn’t exist without some artificial intelligence help.
The company's new HyperIntuition system constantly monitors how you're moving using an array of sensors, analysing your speed, stride, the terrain you’re traversing and body position, thousands of times during your walk. Instead of waiting for you to struggle before reacting, it predicts your movement and adjusts the motor assistance almost instantly, using AI to anticipate when you’re going to need that extra bit of support most.
Hypershell says the system responds in just 0.31 seconds while synchronising with your gait 97.5% of the time, creating an experience that's designed to feel far more natural than previous generations of its exoskeletons.
It’s certainly a strange sensation initially. Your movements with the Hypershell X have to be intentional and controlled or the added oomph you’re given can come as a shock. But there’s no denying the extra support it offers, putting a spring into your step that makes more strenuous activity easier to manage. And that’s before you dial up into its super-powered mode...
App control — and a rocket boost mode
Yep, you read that right — the Hypershell X can be put into a ‘Rocket’ boost mode that sees its motors firing on all cylinders to give you a brief window of super-charged power. This is controlled from the Hypershell+ companion app, which acts as the control centre for the X Series, letting you fine-tune how much assistance the motors provide to match your walking style and the terrain ahead.
Though it can only be activated for a short period of time, the boost mode makes it feel as if a few litres of Red Bull have been injected straight into your legs. It’s got to be used cautiously as the jolt of power it gives every stride is substantial. But when the going gets particularly tough, it’s a welcome feature.
The app also offers workout tracking, performance insights and a quick-start guide to help you get everything fitted correctly before you head outdoors. During setup, the app recommends the correct fit adjustments based on your height and weight, while future firmware updates can add new features over time.
Hypershell is also introducing Shelly, an AI-powered assistant that can be controlled by voice or text, allowing users to ask questions about the exoskeleton, tweak settings and personalise the experience without diving through menus. It's still in beta, but you can imagine a future when you’re able to speak to the app conversationally about the effort you’re putting in, and see the Hypershell’s motor systems adapt accordingly.
More than just hiking
Mountain hikers are the obvious audience for the Hypershell X, but they're far from the only people who could benefit.
Anyone who regularly carries heavy camera gear, works outdoors or spends long days on foot could see the appeal. Search and rescue teams are already testing the technology through Hypershell's HyperLIFT programme to see whether it can reduce fatigue during demanding operations.
The company also believes active older adults will benefit from wearing the exoskeleton. A dedicated assistance mode is designed for slower walking speeds, aiming to reduce muscle fatigue while making longer walks feel more comfortable and confidence-inspiring.
It isn't intended as a medical device or rehabilitation aid, though. Instead, it's aimed squarely at healthy people who simply want a little extra endurance outdoors.
Urban adventures (or just an easier commute)
For Londoners, the appeal is perhaps less about conquering Everest and more about making everyday tasks and journeys feel easier. If your commute involves multiple Tube changes, endless station staircases or a brisk walk across the City, the Hypershell X Series could help take some of the strain out of the journey. It's also an intriguing option for anyone who spends all day on their feet – photographers covering events, delivery riders, tour guides or festival staff, for example, where shaving a little fatigue off every step could really add up by the end of the day.
It could also be a useful bit of kit for the capital's weekend adventurers. Whether you're tackling the steep climbs of Primrose Hill, spending hours wandering Richmond Park, or heading out of London for a hike in the Chilterns or South Downs, the exoskeleton is designed to make longer walks feel less physically demanding without doing the work for you. Rather than replacing the satisfaction of reaching the top of the hill, it's intended to help you arrive with a bit more energy left to enjoy the view (or make it back to the pub afterwards).
Would I want to wear it all day every day? Probably not — though it’s about as discreet as a set of robot leg aids can be, the Hypershell X definitely caught the attention of passers-by as I was wearing them. If you’ve got a load of hiking gear on nobody will bat an eyelid — but if you’ve got your pressed shirt and city slacks on, that might be another story.
Still, I managed to get served in the pub while wearing them without raising too many eyebrows. So if the next round is a twenty-pinter, popping on the Hypershell X might help you keep that much-needed balance without spilling a drop.
Harder, better, faster, stronger
Interestingly, the Hypershell X Series isn't just designed to make exercise easier – it can also make it harder. Alongside its various assistance modes, the exoskeleton includes a dedicated Fitness Mode that deliberately adds resistance to your movement, turning walks and runs into a wearable strength workout. Though it’s not the core offering of the product, I’d go as far as saying it was the area I thought it worked most effectively.
As you increase your pace, the motors apply greater resistance to challenge your leg muscles, while a separate Static Training Mode provides consistent resistance for lower-body exercises, offering a gym-like training experience without traditional weight machines. It's a clever twist on the concept: instead of simply helping you climb the next hill, the X Series can also help build the strength needed to tackle it under your own steam.
In the days and weeks following that initial Greenwich trek, it’s this way that I’ve used the Hypershell X most of all — around the house, almost passively working to help build my leg endurance and strength.
The price of robot legs
Note that the Hypershell X Series isn't a single product.
At the top sits the £1,699 X Ultra S, built for serious expeditions and the toughest terrain. It’s this model I’ve been testing, but the differences further down the pricing chain aren’t such that you’ll be massively missing out by saving some of that dough.
The £1,299 X Max S targets regular hikers who want strong assistance without paying flagship money — it’s essentially the same as the Ultra S, but has a smaller battery, reducing its walking range from 60km to 30km per charge, and slightly fewer tracked movement modes. The entry-level £899 X Pro S is aimed at lighter outdoor adventures and everyday walking, with a 17.5km range and a slightly weaker motor, meaning its assistance maxes out at 20km/h instead of 25km/h.
All three models feature multiple modes, including an Eco mode for longer battery life, a more powerful Hyper mode for steep climbs and even a downhill mode that cushions your knees when descending slopes.
The future of outdoor gear?
For years, outdoor technology has focused on lighter backpacks, better boots and smarter GPS watches. The Hypershell X Series takes a much bolder approach by enhancing the person wearing the equipment.
It's still undeniably an expensive gadget (we’re not quite at the Iron Man dream just yet), and plenty of hikers will argue that the challenge is the whole point of climbing a mountain in the first place. Others may see it as no different from using an e-bike instead of a traditional bicycle — technology making outdoor adventures accessible to more people rather than replacing them.
Either way, consumer exoskeletons are moving beyond lab demos and into real-world use. Hypershell is delivering on its promise of making long walks easier without making them feel artificial, making the X Series one of the most intriguing outdoor gadgets we've seen in years. Now excuse me while I go make mincemeat of my hill-climbing PB.
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