Exoskeletons
A powered frame or suit worn over the legs, back or arms, whose motors add force at your joints — to walk further, lift more, or learn to walk again.
- powered exoskeleton
- exosuit
- exo
- Dnsys X1DnsysMass 1.6 kgUSD 1,299seen 2026-10-28
- EksoNREkso Bionics · USPrice on quotation
- Hypershell X SeriesHypershell · CNMass 1.7 kgUSD 1,599seen 2026-10-28
What it is
A powered exoskeleton puts motors at one or more of the wearer's joints and times their torque to the wearer's own movement. Rigid designs carry load through a frame and can fully support someone who cannot stand; soft exosuits use cables and textiles, add only a fraction of the effort, but weigh less and let the body move naturally. Both pay for every motor with battery weight on the body, and both must sense intent fast enough that the assistance feels like help, not a shove.
Exo, exosuit and powered exoskeleton mean the same thing here. In this taxonomy it is the only
child of Wearable robot, and the rule is powered actuation applied to one or more body regions.
Filter on body_region first.
What they are used for
- Consumer sport and mobility — hip exoskeletons like the Hypershell X and Dnsys X1 for hiking and stairs, sold as sports aids, not medical devices.
- Rehabilitation — clinical gait trainers such as the EksoNR, used by therapists after stroke or spinal injury and sold only to certified centres.
- Industrial — back and shoulder units for workers lifting or working overhead.
- Personal mobility — full lower-body devices that let wheelchair users stand and walk; none listed yet.
What to compare
| Attribute | Why it matters | In this catalogue |
|---|---|---|
body_region |
Hip, knee, full lower body, back or shoulder decides whether it helps you at all | lower-limb (3) |
mass |
Worn all day, so a kilogram here is worth ten on a cart | 1.6 kg (Dnsys X1) – 1.7 kg (Hypershell X Series) |
battery_runtime |
Hours or kilometres per pack; whether packs swap in the field | not yet in the catalogue |
segment |
Consumer sports aid or clinical device decides who is allowed to buy it | consumer (2), professional (1) |
ip_rating |
Sweat, rain and trail dust on the consumer units | 1 entry |
Price picture (observed 2026-10-28)
- Education, hobby & consumer: USD 1,299 (Dnsys X1) to USD 1,599 (Hypershell X Series).
- On quotation: EksoNR.
Prices are the latest observation per product, in the seller's currency; see each record's offers for history and VAT notes.
In the catalogue
Professional / industrial: EksoNR
Education, hobby & consumer: Dnsys X1 · Hypershell X Series
Edge cases
- Passive exoskeletons with springs, no motors: not robots, not listed.
- Medical and consumer models share this category; the difference is regulatory and lives in segment.
- Powered prosthetics: not exoskeletons — they replace a limb — see Prosthesis.
- Rigs worn to control a remote robot: Component > Teleoperation.
Related
Rule of membership
Powered actuation applied alongside one or more intact body regions.
Category rb-8-1 in the whatrobot taxonomy.