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The Hypershell X Ultra S exoskeleton is designed to optimize your performance, whether you're hiking or biking. Adam Doud/CNET
I'm in Arizona, traversing a narrow path in the Grand Canyon, with outdoor exoskeleton maker Hypershell’s new $1,999 Hypershell X Ultra S strapped to my waist and legs. I'm waiting to become a superhero, or at the very least, gain the ability to join the Alien franchise and toss a giant xenomorph extraterrestrial out of an airlock, but I can barely haul my 50-year-old, 270-pound body up this 100-foot trail climb.
I look up at my counterpart, my 15-year-old daughter, and I'm filled with a whole lot of pride, and if I am being completely honest with myself, a bit of jealousy. This climb is no problem for her, but I'm the robot. I’m supposed to be the one flying through this. It's just not fair. The climb continues.
Climbing is a part of hiking (or so I'm told), so we came down this trail, a sort of natural staircase if you will, just to see how well we could climb back up. As it turns out, she does so with the grace of an athlete. I, even with my robot legs, don't fare as well. I don't really want to pass out, but at this point, I can't say I'd hate doing so.
It's really not fair.
As it turns out, I've fallen victim to one of the most common misconceptions surrounding this product. Hypershell will not, in fact, turn you into a superhero. Angus Fan, Hypershell's chief product officer, told me in an exclusive interview, "The tech will be ready eventually, but for now, we have more humble aspirations of endurance extension." Fair enough.
Getting back to my daughter, she's been a competitive athlete pretty much since she could walk. First in gymnastics and most recently in varsity soccer as a freshman in high school, she is on the exact opposite end of the human spectrum from me.
I also have spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal that puts pressure on my nerves, and walk with a cane for anything longer than 5,000 steps. I was at the Grand Canyon, on the rim of the largest natural formation on Earth, to find out if an exoskeleton could help me keep up with her. We'll get to that, but for now, here's what Hypershell offers.
The exoskeleton's battery sits in the small of your back. Adam Doud/CNET
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