Allison interviews Toby Knisely from Hypershell about their X Ultra exoskeleton that reduces physical exertion during many varied outdoor activities.
The Hypershell X Ultra is a lightweight AI-powered outdoor exoskeleton built to assist walking, running, cycling, and other movements by reducing physical exertion and extending endurance. It uses dual M-One Ultra motors with a 1,000 W peak output and an AI MotionEngine Ultra that adapts support in real time based on your gait, cutting effort by up to ~20% for walking and ~39% for cycling. It can help maintain a higher pace and reduce fatigue across varied terrain.
Built from carbon fiber and titanium alloy with an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance and an operating range from about -4° F to 140° F, the X Ultra is rugged enough for trail, snow, sand, and steep descents. It supports up to 12 intelligent assistance modes (e.g., Cycling+, Snow, Dune, Running+) and offers max speed assistance around 16 mph. Users control modes and power via the Hypershell+ app on Android, iOS, or (with watchOS) Apple Watch.
The power comes from dual swappable batteries, providing roughly 19 mi of range per battery and quick recharge (~88 min with a portable charger). Independent testing and SGS certification have verified many of its performance claims, positioning the X Ultra as one of the most capable consumer wearable exoskeletons for outdoor and endurance use.
Learn more at https://www.hypershell.tech/
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Transcript of Interview
Allison: We love nothing more than me strapped into some machinery at a show. I’m with Toby Neisley of Hypershell and he has strapped me into quite a little gizmo here. What am I wearing?
Toby: Yeah, so this is Hypershell X Ultra. It’s our top-of-the-line flagship model of our outdoor exoskeleton.
Allison: I love a good exoskeleton. I can tell I’ve got something pretty tight around my waist. I’ve got carbon fiber down here going down to my legs and it’s strapped into my legs. What is this going to do for me?
Toby: Yeah, so it’s kind of like a waist harness with motors, a battery. It’s also strapped to your thighs, and the motors will give you torque. It will give you a boost in endurance and energy, reduce your fatigue, and let you walk further with less effort.
Allison: Would I want to take this hiking, for example, where I’m not really fit to go up to whatever, Mount Whitney like Steve is, and instead I would wear this?
Toby: Yeah, so one of our main use cases would be hiking, outdoor activities, mountain climbing, anything that has severe uphill gradients. It’s really good there. It’s also good just in everyday life. For example, walking around at CES, you maybe do 30,000 steps in a day. This is a really good solution for CES.
Allison: Okay, why don’t you walk with me when I’m going to start trying to walk. I should feel…
Toby: Yeah, you tell me what you feel actually.
Allison: It feels pretty easy to walk. I definitely feel more mechanical as I’m moving. I’m not noticing a lot of assist.
Toby: Yeah, I think it really shines when you’re in a kind of recognizable pattern. If we just walk as if we’re walking normally, don’t worry about the mic and about me, just walk normally.
Allison: Okay, we’re going to walk towards Steve. Now it’s going up and down. Now I can feel it a lot better. That’s interesting.
Toby: Yeah, at your first try you were doing more of a shuffle, like baby steps, and it didn’t really detect that motion and give you…
Allison: Okay, so it didn’t know what to do, how to help me.
Toby: It didn’t really know exactly what to do, but when you’re doing more normal steps, larger cadence, it gives you that boost.
Allison: Are there different levels to this? All right, crank me up now.
Toby: Right now you were just in Eco 100. I’ll give you now max power, it’s called Hyper mode. Now you’re in the max power.
Allison: This burns the battery a little faster. Let’s turn around and see how I’m going to go. Here we go. Oh yeah. Oh my gosh, that is lifting my leg, Steve. I feel like I’m marching now. I could be in a marching band. I’m running into him. He’s running out of space. That is really, really effective. The difference between the full eco mode and the Mad Max mode I was in there, what’s the battery life difference?
Toby: In eco mode, you can get up to 30 kilometers or maybe five to seven hours. In hyper mode, it really burns through the battery a bit faster, so you’re looking more at maybe 5 to 6 kilometers or like 90 minutes.
Allison: I assume there are levels in between?
Toby: Yeah, there are also levels between.
Allison: It’s just more fun to mess with the person doing the demo to crank it up and feel the difference.
Toby: Yeah, I think for the demo you definitely want to have the max power.
Allison: Just even moving my legs like this, I can feel the thing lift. I feel like it’s lifting my legs. Is this on the market yet today?
Toby: Yep. X Ultra, this model launched in September. We’ve been on sale for a couple of months now, and it’s available now. This model costs 2,000 US.
Allison: If people wanted to check this out, where would they go?
Toby: The best place would be our website, hypershell.tech.
Allison: That’s perfect. Thank you so much, Toby. Thanks for letting me wear it. I think we should get this shot going away. That’s crazy. That’s really fun. Thank you.
Toby: Thank you for trying it. I appreciate it.