Robotic Ski Exoskeleton

[DumbIdeasOnly]

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.

How do they work for big dudes that ski hard? Even though my joints work well enough and I’m young enough I can’t see myself using this as something other than a novelty item right now, I would be curious to try it if I happened to be somewhere it was offered.

$100 curious I’m not sure but it is something it’d be fun to experiment with for a couple runs.

[Jason4]

I have a friend who is a high level avalanche instructor with one full knee replacement already. He'd be a pretty ideal candidate and a good person to get out on your gear if you are looking to tune it for the backcountry as well. I know he's having some trouble with his knee right now and he's way too young to not be able to get out and teach anymore.

[TBS]

Super G - are you reaching out to adaptive programs about this device?
PM me if you want an intro into Oregon Adaptive Sports...

[esseff]

Saw a guy with these at Big Sky today. A first for me. I could see it selling better if the pack was eliminated. No idea on price, but I am guessing comparable with knee replacement deductible.

[Super G]

How do they work for big dudes that ski hard? Even though my joints work well enough and I’m young enough I can’t see myself using this as something other than a novelty item right now, I would be curious to try it if I happened to be somewhere it was offered.

$100 curious I’m not sure but it is something it’d be fun to experiment with for a couple runs.

I am 6'3", 200 lbs with no knee problems and ski as fast as possible in all conditions and I took these out the other day when they opened the bowls here. It was pretty awesome and they held up well to the forces I threw at them. You can try them for $25 for 2 hours and that is definitely worth it, especially if you are skiing soft chopped up snow and crud. For strong folks like us, it is harder to realize the benefits in fresh powder or groomers, but once you actually have to exert effort, these things really provide a benefit.

[Super G]

I have a friend who is a high level avalanche instructor with one full knee replacement already. He'd be a pretty ideal candidate and a good person to get out on your gear if you are looking to tune it for the backcountry as well. I know he's having some trouble with his knee right now and he's way too young to not be able to get out and teach anymore.

Right now we are not focused on getting these tuned for the backcountry, but hopefully your buddy is able to get out and enjoy some turns this winter

[Super G]

Super G - are you reaching out to adaptive programs about this device?
PM me if you want an intro into Oregon Adaptive Sports...

thanks. Right now we are focusing on connecting with groups that are in or near our host resorts, and we dont have anything going in OR right now maybe later on down the road.

[stuckathuntermtn]

This looks amazing!
Probably gonna need these is 15 or 20 years.

Might save my life one day too, because my long-term plans for getting old and broke and broken and not able to ski anymore have mostly consisted of a tree well.

[Shredhead]

Is it covered by insurance?

I’m your target demographic. I’ve already got a $1700 unloader brace from Steadman Clinic, that doesn’t really help much.

My deductible is already met this year.

[yellofin]

Will they help getting off the chairlift?

That never get’s old

[sb]

When does the uphill version drop?

We already know how to ski downhill.

How about a rocket assist for the chair lift separation?

It needs to be red.

[PB]

Does it have a huck setting?

Oh, and we're (me, and my friends) are waaaaaaaay past stretching for back pain. See this as the first step in the cyborg option.

[Super G]

Is it covered by insurance?

I’m your target demographic. I’ve already got a $1700 unloader brace from Steadman Clinic, that doesn’t really help much.

My deductible is already met this year.

Despite its benefits, Elevate is not considered a medical device, it is a recreational device, so this product is not covered by insurance at this time.

[old goat]

Will they help getting off the chairlift?

lord I hope so. Those beginner chairs seem to get lower every year.

[fomofo]

I have a friend who suffers from a degenerative muscle disease, and amongst other problems his quads are weakening, causing him to have difficulty getting up from a seated position. His skiing days are a thing of the past, but I was thinking some kind of knee exoskeleton type of device might provide a useful assist to him in his daily activities.

Anyone have any personal experience with anything along those lines?