In December, we asked a marathon runner to test an exoskeleton. The writer, Kieran Alger, rated it seven out of 10, saying it was a lot of futuristic fun, comfortable to wear and good assistance for his runs. But he wasn’t the target audience.
While the comments from readers on the original article were interested in the concept, the general feeling was that Kieran was the wrong person to test the apparatus – having run 65 marathons and 20 ultramarathons over the past two decades, he’s far too fit to feel an intense benefit.
In response, we asked Telegraph Recommended readers with varying levels of fitness to test the exoskeleton against the same metrics as Kieran. Through winter and spring, they’ve tried walking, hiking and running in the device, to see how much it aids them in their daily movements.
But what actually is it? “Exoskeleton is an umbrella term for different types of robotics. It’s an outer shell,” explains Louis Martinelli, exoskeleton service and development lead at Hobbs Rehabilitation.
The Hypershell X Ultra, specifically, is a wearable external frame with built-in motors that supports your natural movement, making physical activities easier and more powerful. “It can help with improved cardiovascular health, reducing spasms and maintaining bone density,” says Martinelli.
But it’s not just physical: “It’s not necessarily spoken about, but it really helps people’s mood and wellbeing. People benefit from being able to spend longer on their feet,” he says. This is exactly the feedback we had from many of our readers. Here is how they got on.