Chinese Tourists Are Renting Robotic Exoskeletons to Climb Mountains. The Trend Is Spreading

What began as an experiment has grown into a commercial tourism industry.

Mount Tai is one of China’s most revered mountains, attracting millions of visitors each year. For centuries, emperors, poets, and philosophers have made the pilgrimage to the mountain, in a tradition thought to bring blessings and enlightenment.

Despite standing at just 1,532.7 meters (5,029 feet) above sea level, Mount Tai is not an easy climb. While not dangerous — thanks to well-maintained stone stairways — the ascent is still grueling. With over 7,000 steep steps winding up its slopes, even seasoned hikers find themselves pausing for breath.

This is why the exoskeletons are so useful. The robotic exoskeletons are designed to assist climbers, allowing more people to experience the journey without exhausting their bodies. At a cost of around $11 per climb, it’s not hard to see why they’re so popular.

In early 2025, just ten of these devices were available for tourists to try. By May, the mountain’s operator had reportedly deployed 500. And Mount Tai was no longer alone. Similar rental services began appearing at tourist attractions across China.

In November 2026, Mount Tai even hosted a robot-climbing competition with an event devoted to powered exoskeletons. The mountain’s ancient stone steps had become a testing ground for a new generation of wearable technology.

A Helping Hand for Your Legs

“It really works. Once I put it on, my legs didn’t hurt anymore. It felt like someone was pulling me uphill,” Li Chengde, a 68-year-old tourist from the provincial capital of Jinan, said after trying on the device in early 2025, according to Xinhua News Agency.

The lightweight devices weigh just 1.8 kilograms (4 pounds). You strap them around your waist and thighs and they’re good to go, providing synchronized assistance using AI. The original model offered around five hours of battery-powered assistance. At every step, it pushes the user forward, like an invisible hand.

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Most testers, including a 29-year-old content creator named Jacky quoted by CNN in 2025, praised the device. Jacky said that the device works so well that you actually feel clumsy after you take it off. Others pointed out minor inconveniences (like tying shoelaces) while wearing the device, but overall, the exoskeleton seemed to do an excellent job of helping people get up the mountain faster.

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The technology has since spread beyond Mount Tai. By September 2026, dozens of Chinese tourist attractions had introduced exoskeleton rentals, including Mount Hua, Wuyi Mountain and Enshi Grand Canyon.

The business is growing, too. According to market research company IDC, China shipped around 26,000 exoskeleton robots in 2025, with consumer-assistance devices accounting for nearly 19,000 of them. Medical rehabilitation still generated most of the industry’s revenue, however, because those systems tend to be considerably more expensive.

Cheap exoskeletons are good news

Especially for the elderly and mobility-impaired visitors, the exoskeleton made Mount Tai more accessible and enjoyable. Half of the hikers who tried it out were senior citizens.

“Some elderly tourists want to enjoy the scenery along the way, but sitting in a cable car limits their view. With the help of these robots, they can truly experience the joy of climbing,” said Wang Houzhe, deputy Party chief of the Taishan Cultural Tourism Group, who developed the robot.

While exoskeletons at Mount Tai might seem like a novelty trick, their implications extend far. Like many other countries, China is facing a rapidly aging population.

At the end of 2025, China had 323.4 million people aged 60 or older, representing 23% of its population, according to the country’s National Bureau of Statistics. That is roughly 13 million more older residents than a year earlier.

The Chinese government is taking notice. In January 2026, eight central government departments issued guidelines encouraging the use of technologies such as robotic exoskeletons to assist older people with declining physical abilities. The initiative forms part of a broader effort to improve elderly care and develop China’s growing market for products and services aimed at older adults.

But can these devices actually make walking easier, beyond the enthusiastic testimonials of tourists?

What the science says, so far

A study published in June 2026 tested a soft robotic hip exoskeleton on 20 healthy older adults walking uphill on a treadmill. With the device switched on, participants reported slightly less exertion and showed a modest improvement in a measure of cardiovascular effort compared with walking without it.

Another study, published in Nature Communications in July 2026, tested a different soft robotic suit on ten older adults. The device reduced the energy required for walking by an average of 13.6% and helped participants complete more repetitions of a sit-to-stand exercise.

These results are encouraging, but the studies were small and involved devices different from the ones available to Mount Tai tourists. It suggests that exoskeletons can really help prevent falls and improve long-term mobility or are suitable for everyone with physical limitations, but the practicality of a large-scale release is still unclear.

But China seems to really believe in exoskeletons.

From mountain trails to everyday life

The same company behind the original Mount Tai device, Kenqing Technology, has also pursued walking-assistance products for everyday mobility rather than tourism alone.

These wearable devices, powered by artificial intelligence, can adapt to the user’s movements, offering synchronized assistance to ease the effort of each step. For elderly individuals with limited strength, such assistance could make certain everyday activities easier. But it remains to be established whether recreational hiking exoskeletons can safely deliver the same benefits in homes, hospitals, or rehabilitation settings.

The same company developed a separate exoskeleton model specifically designed for elderly users, weighing slightly more at 2.4 kilograms but providing more support for walking, running, and climbing stairs. At the time of the original report, this model was estimated to cost around $2,334 in China.

The real test will be whether these devices become affordable and widely adopted, not just in China but across the globe. If that’s the case, they could make life much easier for hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

The real test is no longer simply whether people are willing to wear these robots. Thousands already have. It’s whether the technology can become reliable, affordable, and useful beyond the tourist trail — particularly for the growing number of older people who could benefit from a little assistance with every step.

Editor’s note (November 5, 2026): As part of ZME Science’s ongoing effort to revisit older stories and track how technology and scientific evidence evolve, we’ve updated this article, originally published on February 18, 2025. We’ve added new information about the rapid expansion of robotic exoskeletons across Chinese tourist destinations, updated usage figures, and recent research exploring their potential benefits for older adults. We’ve also clarified what remains uncertain about their long-term effectiveness and safety.