The Arc’tryx MO/GO Hiking Pants come with a built-in exoskeleton powered by powerful motors that can increase the wearer’s leg strength by 40% and make them feel 30 pounds lighter. Motor-powered exoskeletons have been a reality for years — especially in the medical field — but not so much in the leisure department. That's about to change, as outdoor brand Arc’teryx and Google spinoff Skip recently teamed up to create the world’s first powered pants. Called MO/GO — short for “mountain goat” — the innovative garment is more than a piece of clothing; it comes with carbon fiber support structures that feed power from integrated AI-controlled motors at the knees to the wearer’s leg muscles during ascents and decreasing pressure on their knees during descents. Marketed as a mobility device, MO/GO pants are designed to make hiking more accessible to people who may not have the endurance for it. The motors located on the side of the knees are powered by a battery pack located around the waist of the pants, and can reportedly assist the wearer during ascents for about three hours on a full charge. The battery recharges automatically while the wearer is walking downhill. They are expected to hit the market in 2025 at a retail price of around $5,000, which is a lot more than most people are willing to spend on hiking apparel. That’s why Arc’teryx has them available for 8-hour rentals at a cost of $80.
