Robotic Ski Exoskeleton

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dd-fsC1i2Y4&t=3s

So, I have a new job this winter promoting these robotic air powered knee braces. Pretty kooky looking for sure, but I shit you not these things really work. We claim these devices take 30% of your weight off your quads and knees, reducing fatigue and knee pain, and so far the feedback has been pretty incredible. I skied with a 78 year old ripper yesterday who already has one knee replaced and is trying to make it through this season with severe bone on bone pain in his other knee (he has that knee replacement surgery scheduled for April), and he was so stoked as these devices allowed him to ski pain free, something he hasn't experienced in years. I skied hard on these and was also blown away (made my early season legs feel like I was in strong mid-season form).

Not trying to spam this place as this product is certainly not for everyone (including me) but I figured it was enough of a game changer and the technology is pretty far out there that it would generate some good discussion.

Thoughts?

I've seen something like this before. But it was just a springy thing.
But this is robotic?
What is it like in a yardsale?

https://www.roamrobotics.com/ski/

Pretty cool actually.

The possibilities for disabled skiers are intriguing
Not to mention the aging dentist demographic

yeah this is a fully robotic system. You wear a backpack with an air compressor and computer that knows when to inflate and deflate each leg depending on the support needed. When I tested it out I was surprised to see it reacts fast enough to work well while doing hop turns down steeps, providing support to your downhill leg, while allowing the uphill leg to be fully bent, and vice versa when you hop turn and have the other leg as your downhill leg.
I havent yardsaled on these yet so no feedback in that regard, but I am certain they would offer support to the knees, especially keeping them from hyper extending.

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Originally Posted by nordekette

how do they ski uphill?

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At this time they are only designed for downhill skiing, so they will not help for snowboarding, tele-skiing, and/or skinning.

What DIN do they go up to?

A few questions:
How will it affect my beacon?

Can you attach an airbag to that backpack?

Will it help me climb mountains faster?

Is it just me or are those skiers all in the back seat? As a skier also dedicated to riding in the back seat, I could use help in the perma wall sit.

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Originally Posted by ak_powder_monkey

A few questions:
How will it affect my beacon?

Can you attach an airbag to that backpack?

Will it help me climb mountains faster?

Is it just me or are those skiers all in the back seat? As a skier also dedicated to riding in the back seat, I could use help in the perma wall sit.

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We did not find issues with beacon interference during our testing in S. America in August, but we are also not pushing this as a backcountry device at this time. The version we have for this season is designed for in-bounds skiing and as such is not compatible with airbags, nor is there room in the pack for a shovel and probe. It will not help you climb faster, but it will help you ski longer and stronger with reduced fatigue and knee pain.

As for the back seat, I only see the lady in the blue helmet tailgunning and that is just how she rolls. The other guys in the video are former US Ski Team members and they are looking good to me.

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Originally Posted by Super G

As for the back seat, I only see the lady in the blue helmet tailgunning and that is just how she rolls.

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^ Yep

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Originally Posted by Super G

We did not find issues with beacon interference during our testing in S. America in August, but we are also not pushing this as a backcountry device at this time. The version we have for this season is designed for in-bounds skiing and as such is not compatible with airbags, nor is there room in the pack for a shovel and probe. It will not help you climb faster, but it will help you ski longer and stronger with reduced fatigue and knee pain.

As for the back seat, I only see the lady in the blue helmet tailgunning and that is just how she rolls. The other guys in the video are former US Ski Team members and they are looking good to me.

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I think this is really cool - thanks for the post. Gonna see if the old man has any interest.

Looks like these things are rented at 10 different resorts for 109/day, or 25 for a two hour test drive. Perfect for the one week a year skier who doesn't want to bother getting in shape. Pretty pricey for the serious skier with bad knees.

are they red?

not going to lie,,, I really want to try these.. if I can delay knee surgery for another year or so,,, that's a win in my book...

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Originally Posted by old goat

Looks like these things are rented at 10 different resorts for 109/day, or 25 for a two hour test drive

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Will they help getting off the chairlift?

Got anything for the spine/lower back?

Asking for some friends.
Lots of friends.

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Originally Posted by old goat

Looks like these things are rented at 10 different resorts for 109/day, or 25 for a two hour test drive. Perfect for the one week a year skier who doesn't want to bother getting in shape. Pretty pricey for the serious skier with bad knees.

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Correct. We are also taking orders for next year--$100 down deposit now with a total cost of $3,500 if you want to buy. The goal this year is to make it affordable for people to try, and then if they love them, they will be for sale for the 20/21 season.

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Originally Posted by PB

Got anything for the spine/lower back?

Asking for some friends.
Lots of friends.

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not yet, but from personal experience, stretching the hamstrings helps tremendously with skiing induced back pain.

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Originally Posted by DumbIdeasOnly

I think this is really cool - thanks for the post. Gonna see if the old man has any interest.

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Cheers. These can be rented at Keystone/Breck, Aspen/Snowmass, Big Sky, Park City/Canyons/Deer Valley, Sun Valley, Squaw Valley and Northstar.

Will they help me stomp like Hugo used to?

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Originally Posted by Super G

not yet, but from personal experience, stretching the hamstrings helps tremendously with skiing induced back pain.

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Stretch everything.. there are muscles and ligaments on the upper parts of your thighs that reach thru your abdominals and pull the top back edge of your pelvis forward.. This makes the arch of your back greater than it should be. Stretch quads and abductors around your hips is crucial to a pain free ski experience... Google lumbar lordosis, aka, how white girls get a thic booty...

Do people have to take them off to ride the lift? What's the connection to each knee like? Air line(s), power, and data lines? Does the pack have a compressor or do you get recharged during the day?

PM sent.

Best of luck with this. I believe I might be a customer for version 5.0


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Originally Posted by abraham

Do people have to take them off to ride the lift? What's the connection to each knee like? Air line(s), power, and data lines? Does the pack have a compressor or do you get recharged during the day?

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Once you put these on (which takes about 3 minutes), you are good to go for the day. Get on and off the lift with the pack and braces on and just ski as you would. You connect the airhose and the power line to each brace and that is it. The pack has a compressor in it that runs for about 7 hours on the provided recharge-able batteries. There is a control switch on your backpack strap that lets you turn it on and off as needed (riding the lift etc), as well as adjusting the 3 different settings (quick turns for aggressive skiing, less responsive for easy cruisers, and a setting inbetween). There are also 5 different power levels depending on the amount of support needed. Here is a video that shows the fitting process.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU9u2hpSG90

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Originally Posted by bw_wp_hedonism

Best of luck with this. I believe I might be a customer for version 5.0


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No doubt. As is the case with technology, expect these units to get more and more dialed in as time goes on. The improvements our engineers have made from this year's version (2.0) to last year is incredible.