Whatever your thoughts are on the idea of exoskeleton assistants, they’re coming. The Mo/Go by Arc’teryx, developed with the assistance of Skip, is proof of that.
Skip originated at Google’s X Labs and specialises in the sort of mobility tech that might turn ordinary humans into something more. This isn’t the first we’ve seen of tech like the Mo/Go. Back in 2019, there was an academic version focused on runners. This commercial effort is more interested in making it easier to walk up mountains.
Slow? Try Mo/Go
So where can you buy one of these knee-supporting gadgets that clip onto a pair of Arc’teryx Gamma hiking pants? That’s where it gets a little tricky. The peripheral isn’t available for sale yet but you can pre-order one, for delivery in 2025. The eventual price is expected to be R92,000 ($5,000) but you can reserve one right now for just R1,850 ($100).
For your money — and pre-orders will pay just R83,500 at the end of the day — you’ll snag a set of the carbon fibre cuffs that can be zipped into the (also included) Arc’teryx Gamma hiking pants, the powered modules, and the batteries, plus charger. It’ll typically provide three hours of hiking assistance or a distance of about 10km. The Mo/Go is intended to help hikers tackle uphill routes, enhancing stamina for those who might not have quite as much as they used to, but Arc’teryx probably can’t stop you from using them on the flat. Seems a bit of a waste but you do you.
The Arc’teryx Mo/Go setup adds less than a kilogram of weight to each leg and the resulting assistance is supposed to make users feel up to 13kg lighter. Given how specific you have to be when packing a hiking backpack, that’s quite a saving in load carried. If you’re not convinced yet (and happen to be in the area), Arc’teryx is letting users book some time with the Mo/Go out on an actual trail. It’ll cost R1,500 ($80) to spend a few hours deciding whether you’ll drop almost a hundred grand on a set of cybernetic knees. Welcome to the future.