Hypershell X Ultra review: the bionic exoskeleton redefining outdoor endurance

When I was invited to extend my stay at IFA Berlin 2025 to try out the Hypershell X Ultra “exoskeleton” and meet the team behind it, I was excited. In fact, my enthusiasm was so great that I accidentally booked the wrong return date (twice) and had to pay extra to change my flight.

However, the first time I saw it, I was perhaps a little underwhelmed. Admittedly, I was expecting an Iron Man-like suit of fusion-powered armour. But the Hypershell X Ultra isn't that; it's a compact, inconspicuous, and profoundly intelligent piece of technology that truly has to be experienced to be believed.

During my tester day of the world’s first consumer-level outdoor exoskeleton, I was taken on a short hill hike, about 30 minutes to a beautiful viewing spot above Berlin. It also involved a multi-storey staircase on a hot, sunny day.

I typically run about 3°C hotter than the average person and was bracing for fatigue. This is where I experienced the first core benefit of Hypershell’s power: effort reduction. I finished the ascent without sweating buckets or the quad burn I was expecting.

The Hypershell attaches around your waist via a load stabilising belt strap. Its smart battery is built into the rear of it, sitting comfortably at the base of your lower back. Two powerful, near-silent motors sit on either side of the hip.

Extending from the motors are two SpiralTwill 3000 carbon fibre leg levers that attach via ergonomic cuffs around the thighs, roughly 3cm (two fingers) above the knees. Despite its minimal size, the construction is futuristic and sleek. It’s not designed for manual labour, but engineered for enhancing everyday endurance.

I found the exoskeleton relatively straightforward to put on by myself, though the intuitive Hypershell App walks you through the entire process with assistive videos for each step. The adjustable hip levers feature seven incremental steps, and while the length of the carbon leg lever is one size fits all, the fit can be fine-tuned at the knee cuffs.

The app asks for height, weight, and biological gender to recommend the appropriate fit for me. Certainly, there will be tall, short and wide outliers who simply won’t fit into the exoskeleton. But on our test day, the group was diverse in shape and size, and everybody was able to fit comfortably into it.

Another thing that I took away from my test day was that it encouraged me to walk a lot more. Although I wouldn’t classify myself as a fitness person, I live an active lifestyle, walking and cycling everywhere unless it’s raining.

My average daily step count hovers between 10,000–12,000. By the end of day one of wearing the Hypershell exoskeleton, I had logged 21,874 steps, and I didn’t feel at all. I didn’t even break a sweat.

Even though it wasn’t an Iron Man suit, my first impressions on day one were exceedingly positive. But the real test was going to come when I had a chance to actually live with a review unit and slot it into my regular life.

When the Hypershell X Ultra landed on my desk for this review, the whole kit came in a polyethene foam carry case, which is laser cut to house the exoskeleton, an extra battery, USB-C charging cable, warranty card, and user manual. It’s a well-thought-out package that feels premium and robust.

Built around a SinterShell Titanium alloy frame, the device itself is impressively light, weighing approximately 1.8kg (including the battery), and it feels secure when strapped on, closer to a high-end climbing harness than a medical brace. It has that 'overkill but awesome' energy that only top-tier engineering can deliver.

For most active amateurs, the wall isn't speed; it's fatigue and impact stress on the joints. The Hypershell aims to solve this by providing motorised assistance to the hips and knees, and essentially reducing the metabolic energy required for locomotion.

Hypershell X Ultra review

Price and availability

The Hypershell X Ultra is available now Hypershell, priced at $1,999 (£1,599), while the X Pro version (with less powerful assist) can be picked up for $1,099 (£859). It is a premium, category-defining device aimed at serious tech enthusiasts, hikers, and anyone looking to minimise joint stress and general fatigue while maximising outdoor enjoyment.

Design, Build, and the Bionic Advantage

The X Ultra achieves its impressive effort reduction through precision engineering. The design is split into three main parts: the Hip Motor Module, the Thigh Cuffs, and its AI-based Motion Engine.

The Hip Module houses its quiet, high-torque brushless motors, the rechargeable battery pack, and the central AI processor. The harness is adjustable and comfortable enough for multi-hour wear, distributing the weight evenly across the hips.

The kinetic energy is transferred to your body through thin, durable carbon fibre levers connected to the Thigh Cuffs. When you step, the system uses internal sensors and the AI engine to predict your next movement (Gait analysis) and deploy micro-bursts of power to assist the lifting of your leg and the extension of your stride.

Crucial Note on Climate: The X Ultra features an IP54 rating. This means it is highly resistant to sweat, dust, and light rain/snow. However, Hypershell explicitly states it should not be worn in heavy rain or submerged. While this device significantly reduces the barrier of fatigue, it requires you to be aware of inclement weather conditions, unlike fully waterproof gear.

Long Walk and Hill Climbing (The Endurance Multiplier)

To see if the exoskeleton could live up to its promise, I replaced my standard daily and outdoor routines with the X Ultra, focusing on how it changes the feel of the activity rather than just the speed.

My most relatable test was an hour-long walk involving some significant hill climbs in a nearby park. The X Ultra’s assist is not a rigid push; it’s subtle, almost unnerving at first. It feels less like a motor and more like having your own body weight instantly reduced by 10%. It’s hard to explain, but it made me feel lighter on my feet.

To gauge this objectively, I relied on the Rated Perceived Exertion (RPE) scale. On my control walk up the steepest section, an incline that usually leaves me at an RPE of 6 (slightly breathless) and forces me to stop and cool down at the summit, I felt the familiar burning fatigue.

When I repeated the exact same route and pace an hour later, wearing the Hypershell in Eco Mode at 100%, the experience was radically different. I maintained the same pace but felt I was operating closer to an RPE of 3, as in I could hold a conversation the whole way up without any breathlessness and wasn’t sweating at the top.

The difference in my leg muscles was even more pronounced. On a typical climb, I feel the burn immediately in my quads and calves; with the X Ultra, that familiar lactic acid sensation was delayed by minutes. My breathing was still deep, but it remained controlled and conversational, and crucially, I didn't need to break stride or pause at the top. The device provides a constant, gentle lift during the swing phase of my gait and extra push during the stance phase, making the muscles feel less like they are fighting gravity and more like they’re gliding.

The motors are inaudible outside, the only sound - if you listen closely - is the gentle whirring of the carbon fibre levers articulating. But the rustle of clothing and outdoor environmental noise masks it well. The reduction in quad and calf fatigue was immediate and staggering. I completed the hill climbs feeling energetic, not defeated, which meant I continued walking further around the park instead of turning back.

This assistive torque significantly extends the comfortable range for a person whose knees or hips might usually protest after the first few kilometres, turning what would typically be a 'max effort' walk into a comfortable saunter.

The consistent, low-fatigue output is the key to achieving the increased step counts I’ve been experiencing since using the Hypershell X Ultra, proving that this device directly translates to massive increases in weekly activity levels. This is the difference between exercise feeling like a chore and feeling like a genuine privilege.

Running Performance and Impact Reduction

Using Adaptive Motion Recognition was perhaps the most transformative experience. My typical running route felt effortlessly extended from 5K to 7K without any noticeable increase in exertion level. The Hypershell truly shines in the mid-to-late stages of a run when form starts to break down due to fatigue and the impact forces on the joints increase.

The system isn't designed to make you faster, but to make you more consistent. By providing automated assistance to maintain optimal leg lift and stride consistency, the device effectively buffers the impact forces typically absorbed by the knees and lower back. After a control run without the X Ultra, the following morning usually brought some quad ache and tightness in my shins, suggesting mild impact stress. However, after using the X Ultra for the same distance and intensity, the post-run recovery felt noticeably faster.

I found the most significant benefit was the reduction of the post-activity aches. The stiff, dull ache in my thighs and calf muscles, the biggest barrier preventing me from running again the next day, was significantly minimised. This makes the X Ultra not just an endurance enabler but also a valuable injury-prevention and recovery aid for the amateur runner.

It turns the experience of running from a pain-management exercise into a sustained, enjoyable activity. For anyone who currently struggles to run consistently due to joint fatigue, the X Ultra could fundamentally change the sustainability of their routine.

Cycling Endurance and Battery Logistics

While the Hypershell is clearly optimised for bipedal gait (walking and running), I tested its Cycling+ Mode on a commute. The results were mixed but definitely promising. It doesn't replace the motor of an e-bike, nor is it intended to, but it does provide noticeable low-end torque assistance. This proved particularly helpful when accelerating from a stoplight or when grinding up a slight incline, where the pedal stroke is the most inefficient.

For the casual commuter, the weight is a negligible trade-off for the assistance it provides. The real potential, however, lies in using the Hypershell during long, non-motorised cycle treks where muscle burnout in the glutes and quads would be significantly alleviated. If you are training for a multi-day trip or planning a cycle-and-hike adventure, the X Ultra could be an invaluable addition.

Battery logistics are simple. I got about six round-trip commutes on a single charge in mixed assist modes, which aligns closely with Hypershell’s claimed per-battery range. Since the kit includes two batteries, endurance is no longer a limiting factor for most users. The quick-release mechanism meant taking the entire assembly off post-ride was fast and unintrusive, a welcome feature for anyone transitioning quickly from a bike to a meeting or public transport.

Key Smart Features

The Hypershell X Ultra's intelligence resides in its AI Motion Engine, the unsung hero of the entire system.

Gait Analysis & AI Learning

The exoskeleton doesn't just push; it learns. It uses high-frequency sensors to analyse your unique walking or running gait, the precise angle and speed of your hip and knee articulation, and delivers power exactly when your muscles need it most. This proactive, anticipatory assistance is why the power delivery feels so organic, not mechanical. It smooths out inconsistencies in your stride before you even realise they exist.

The App Experience

The companion app is crucial. It’s where you can both select and make fine adjustments to its modes (Eco, Hyper, Transparent) and can even adjust the power it sends to each leg independently. You can also monitor battery life, and most importantly, review your effort-saving metrics in the Stats tab. While I didn't use a fitness tracker for HR data, the app's internal metrics on steps, elevation gain, and distance provided the motivation needed. Seeing objective data like the increase in steps and elevation gain over time, knowing you achieved it with less effort, is highly motivating and fosters sustainable activity habits.

Durability and Maintenance

The bionic levers are robust, and the overall construction feels high-end. Given the motor complexity, using the kit appropriately is key. Follow the guidance provided with the Hypershell and within the app. As noted, it’s not for use in heavy downpours, requiring you to remain aware of the weather, unlike fully waterproof gear.

The Wearable Workout Machine (Fitness Mode)

For those who worry that their legs might turn to mush if constantly assisted, Hypershell includes an "experimental" Fitness Mode, which cleverly flips the motor function to provide resistance instead of assistance.

This dual functionality transforms the X Ultra from a simple aid into a fully-fledged, personalised training companion. When engaged, this mode turns the exoskeleton into a wearable workout machine, creating a sensation akin to wading through waist-level water. The system actively resists hip flexion and extension, forcing your muscles to work harder during every step.

This is a phenomenal feature for anyone looking to increase their baseline fitness without having to join a gym or buy dedicated equipment. It effectively provides many of the benefits of wearing thick resistance bands, but without the awkwardness of trying to keep them around your legs while moving. I tested this mode while performing mundane tasks like housework and running local errands, and managed to develop a respectable level of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).

It's a true 'passive workout' tool; I didn't even have to specifically carve out time to "work out", the resistance was subtly integrated into my daily routine, turning a trip to the corner shop into a leg-building session. This versatility makes the price tag much easier to justify.

Is the Hypershell X Ultra worth the money for the average user?

The Hypershell X Ultra is a $1,999 (£1,599) declaration that you are serious about engaging in consistent activity. It is a niche, high-end product that’s built to help people get even more from spending time outdoors.

But focusing on its core offering; for the average person who wants to get outside and extend their range without the next-day knee pain, or the hiker who wants to comfortably cover longer distances, this device is genuinely revolutionary.

It removes the two biggest physical barriers to enjoyment: fatigue and impact stress. And introduces an element of excitement to getting out that can elude some of us, especially when life is busy and getting outside feels like a chore. It’s designed to allow you to focus purely on the experience of the outdoors.

It is not just a gadget; it's an endurance enabler, an injury buffer, and an outdoor activity enhancer. It’s the closest most of us will ever get to having truly bionic legs, and for its ability to transform everyday activity from a struggle into a sustainable joy, it earns our top recommendation.

The Hypershell X Ultra is a groundbreaking piece of fitness technology, and an exciting sign of things to come.

Also consider

I have seen marginally cheaper knockoffs from Chinese online outlets. But I would avoid off-brand electronics, especially when spending on a device that I will be wearing and being active in. Buying from Hypershell, the leading brand in this field, would give me more confidence in the product’s reliability and efficacy. Until other legitimate competitors emerge, Hypershell is the way to go if you’re looking for a gadget of this nature.