When residents of large Ukrainian cities had to climb 10-15-20 floors on foot due to the lack of electricity, they could hardly have imagined that such a wonderful gadget as an exoskeleton could help them with this. It significantly reduces the load on the legs and literally «carries» a person forward.
When residents of large Ukrainian cities had to climb 10-15-20 floors on foot due to the lack of electricity, they could hardly have imagined that such a wonderful gadget as an exoskeleton could help them with this. It significantly reduces the load on the legs and literally «carries» a person forward.
dev.ua was the first Ukrainian media outlet to receive the Hypershell X Pro AI exoskeleton for testing, and since the weather and season are clearly not conducive to mountain walks and other similar activities, it immediately came to mind to test the gadget on the stairs of a high-rise building. Moreover, in recent months, such climbing to one’s own floor has become a national sport for Ukrainians in blackouts, and the author, for example, often has to walk to his 9th floor on foot with an almost 10-kilogram one-year-old baby in his arms, which significantly adds to the load. But first things first.
In mid-January, DroneUA co-founder Valeriy Yakovenko announced on social media that DroneUA and Robotics Distribution had brought the first commercially available Hypershell exoskeleton to Ukraine. On the websites of the mentioned companies, the Hypershell X PRO exoskeleton will be available for pre-order from February 20 for almost UAH 59,000, but it is not yet available for free sale. Recall that the Chinese robotics startup Hypershell first presented this device at the world’s largest technology exhibition CES in 2024.
The device comes to users in such a stylish suitcase made of a material similar to foam. Inside, in addition to the exoskeleton itself, there is a spare battery for the gadget, a two-way Type C cable and manuals. There is no charger for connecting to the mains in the kit — Hypershell sells charging stations for batteries as a separate product. So the author used his own phone charger to charge the device — it took much longer than the stated time, but it was simple and affordable.
The exoskeleton itself is put on intuitively — no special instructions are required. Its width is adjusted on the device body with special clips, and the user’s back is covered with a rather dense and massive lining. It is secured on the stomach with a belt, and on the legs with separate straps. On the side, right at hand, there is a single button that is responsible for turning the gadget on or off and switching between different modes. However, switching between modes, as well as detailed settings for each of them, is more convenient in the application, which is available for Android and Apple and connects to the exoskeleton via Bluetooth.
This model of exoskeleton weighs about 1.8 kg, and the manufacturer writes that the gadget increases leg strength by 40%, and, conversely, reduces physical exertion by 30%.
The Hypershell application, in turn, when connecting to the exoskeleton, asks you to enter your physical parameters — height and weight, as well as gender. After that, it offers step-by-step instructions for connecting the phone to the exoskeleton via Bluetooth and opens the possibility of managing the gadget’s parameters.
The manufacturer claims a response time of the gadget to commands of 2 milliseconds and a peak power of 800 W. In addition, it is worth saying that thanks to the functions of artificial intelligence, the gadget adapts to the movements of a particular person, starting to work intensively when their activity increases and going into standby mode when the person slows down or stops.
The Chinese manufacturer in its advertising positions the exoskeleton, primarily, as a gadget for improving one’s motor activity and sports — hiking, mountaineering, running, cycling. Although in reality it can also be widely used in work, especially that which requires physical movement, climbing stairs, carrying various kinds of loads. At least, the Ukrainian distributor of Chinese exoskeletons sees their sale in our country not only as a B2C, but also as a B2B story.
The maximum speed at which the exoskeleton supports human movements is 20 km/h, and it itself has 4 basic operating modes — Transparent, Eco, Hyper and Fitness. In addition, the gadget contains 10 separate intelligent modes, depending on what you actually plan to do with it — this is stair descent, descent, ascent, stair climbing, mountainous terrain, cycling, running, dirt road, fast walking and walking.
The author of the material could not think of anything more relevant than testing the exoskeleton while climbing the stairs of a high-rise building — this is the most accessible (though forced) and most popular physical activity for him in the winter of 2025-2026.
This time, the usual hike from the 1st to the 9th floor turned out to be much easier than usual — the path was covered quickly, without breaks for rest and even almost without catching your breath and without gasping for air. The exoskeleton, turned on in the «hard» mode, actively enhances the work of the legs in such a way that it seems that it itself rearranges its legs for you.
The author also decided to use the traditional additional load in the form of his one-year-old son Mark, who often has to be carried upstairs after walks on the street when the elevator is not working, and walked with him in his arms for several floors (although this time there was just light and it was possible to take the elevator). Here too, it would be superfluous to deny that Hypershell significantly reduced the load and made the climb easier. Can this be measured in percentages, as the manufacturer does in its advertising, and state that it was 30% easier? I won’t judge, but that it was easier in principle is for sure.
Marko didn’t understand why his father pushed him into the entrance without even putting on socks and a sweater, but he took it calmly and didn’t get upset.
A fully charged battery (recall that there are 2 of them in the kit) allows you to travel with the exoskeleton up to 17.5 km. In general, with normal use, the exoskeleton should withstand at least 4000 km in walking or running mode during its life cycle. So today we haven’t really exhausted its resource.
In a comment to dev.ua, Hypershell brand manager in Ukraine Serhiy Silin expressed the opinion that exoskeletons can be not just an expensive accessory for sports and travel, but also indispensable assistants in those professions that require constant physical exertion on the legs.
«These are warehouse workers, inspectors of tracks and heating mains, electricians who inspect power lines, that is, all people who spend a lot of time on their feet. By the way, we are now testing these gadgets with Novaya Poshta, and they should provide us with their feedback,» Silin explained. Also, in his opinion, the agricultural business may be interested in purchasing such gadgets.
«The agricultural sector can also be a fairly significant customer, since we, as an agrarian state, have many people who work in the fields, who work in gardens, who work on water drainage for agricultural plots. These are people who have to walk a lot every day,» he recalled.
In this regard, Silin added that they see the sale of Hypershell exoskeletons not only to individual clients, but also to businesses. «One of the main areas that we see is B2B,» he specified.
Another popular target audience for exoskeletons, according to Silin, may be the elderly, for whom gadgets can help significantly facilitate motor activity. «We believe that children who can afford to buy this for their parents as a gift will do it,» Silin noted, taking into account the considerable price of the gadget and its inaccessibility for most Ukrainian pensioners.
In addition to the listed categories, Hypershell exoskeletons, according to him, will be relevant in the work of the military, employees of the State Emergency Service, police and other law enforcement agencies. And, of course, the most popular gadgets will most likely be among athletes and physically active people, as the manufacturer itself positions it primarily.
«Those who are engaged in active recreation — we believe that this direction will also be quite powerful. We are already testing cooperation with such stores as Gorgany, „Ibis“, „Flagman“. They also have these samples on display,» explained Sergey Silin.
In a comment to dev.ua, the Hypershell brand manager in Ukraine reminds that pre-sales for exoskeletons open on February 20, and in addition to the Hypershell X Pro we tested, three more models will be available — Go, Carbon, and Ultra. «Right now, we only have the first copies that arrived in Ukraine for partners, bloggers, and journalists to familiarize themselves with, and certify this equipment. They should arrive en masse at the end of March — there will be a whole container there. Accordingly, then direct sales will begin,» explained Serhiy Silin, who, let us recall, is also the EcoFlow brand manager in Ukraine.
Silin also added that in addition to the sale of exoskeletons, a service center will be launched in Ukraine for their maintenance and repair. The Hypershell brand manager also revealed that other types of exoskeletons from this manufacturer are also planned to be sold in Ukraine — not only for the legs, but also those that will facilitate the work of the hands or the whole body.
«We expect a model for the hands sometime in the middle of the year, which will, conditionally, help to keep the hands in the air so that they are easier to hold. If we are talking about business, then this applies, for example, to electricians who constantly work with their hands raised,» Silin added.
In addition, according to him, at the end of this year Hypershell plans to present an exoskeleton model that will combine the legs, arms and spine. «That is, it will be a more or less complete exoskeleton for a person,» he says.
Silin is convinced that «we are entering the era of exoskeletons in the world,» and the market will soon feel it. He predicts that under such conditions, the Hypershell brand may become no less popular than EcoFlow in some time — when «ecoflow» can be called any charging station, and not exclusively the products of this manufacturer.
