I hiked the highest peaks in Britain with a robotic exoskeleton to see if it could supercharge my mountain-climbing — here's what happened

I’ve got Robotic Leg Syndrome

04 Apr 2026, 12:00 by https://www.techradar.com/uk/author/julia-clarke · TechRadar

Features By Julia Clarke published 4 April 2026

(Image credit: Future / Julia Clarke)

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I reach the summit of Glyder Fach in Snowdonia National Park at 3pm. It’s the third Welsh peak over 3,000ft that I’ve climbed today, but I’m not even winded.

I’m an avid hiker, but my superior energy levels are down to the assistance I’m receiving from the Hypershell X Ultra, an exoskeleton that boosts my leg strength using AI-controlled motors on each hip.

The X Ultra isn’t a medical device; it’s the first exoskeleton certified for outdoor use and the Shanghai-based robotics company behind it claims it can reduce exertion by up to 39%. A TechRadar writer recently used one to try and improve his 5km run time on a track.

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“We’re trying to get past those preconceptions of what people think an exoskeleton is – that it’s for hospital settings,” says Toby Knisely, a representative from Hypershell who’s flown in from China for the nine-hour hike. The robotic legs are helping him to keep up, despite his jet lag.

With 15,000 users across 40 countries, this futuristic hiking accessory is unleashing a cyborg invasion on mountains across the globe with a barely audible hum. Eli Whitman from Weber County Search and Rescue in Utah – one of the biggest rescue teams to use drones in the world – tells me his team has been trialling the X Ultra for the past year and sees it as a potential tool to help tired hikers stranded in the backcountry.

“When people just need a little bit of an assist, we can fly [via drone] a couple of Hypershells up to a crew member on the ground and people can use it to walk themselves out,” he said. “People do better when they participate in their own rescue.”

Finding power in the mountains

(Image credit: Future / Julia Clarke)

When I tested an earlier model of the Hypershell X to climb Ben Nevis, I trimmed a full hour off my usual time. The newer, lighter X Ultra has more powerful motors, a superior battery life and comes with a more advanced AI system.

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