Design tomorrow’s electrically assisted hiking exoskeleton.

Design and validate a consumer-oriented motorized hiking exoskeleton capable of:

• Adapt to a wide range of body types, from 1.55 m to 1.90 m, from S to 2XL
• Preserve natural freedom of movement in all circumstances: squatting, tying shoelaces and taking a side step
• Detect the walking phase in real time: uphill, downhill or flat terrain, to provide assistance at the right moment
• Integrate motors, battery and electronics into a discreet and attractive product
• Guarantee the safety of a system exerting forces directly on the joints
• Enable rapid fitting, compatible with rental use

Kickmaker structured the project around three complementary technical areas:

1. An Adaptive Mechanical Structure

A portable system designed to fit all body types without ever restricting the body:

• Height and width adjustments to cover the full range of target body types
• Freedom of movement validated in the laboratory before any motorisation
• Mechanical components sized through numerical simulation and validated through destructive physical testing

2. An Intelligent Gait Algorithm

An embedded system capable of analysing and anticipating every movement:

• IMU sensors to locate the user within their walking cycle
• Dynamic adjustment of assistance according to the terrain in real time
• Integration of inverse kinematics for greater responsiveness to unexpected terrain conditions

To ensure performance and reliability, Kickmaker designed a complete electronic system integrating:

• An STM32H7 microcontroller and CAN communication between the actuators
• Simple user interfaces (ON/OFF, assistance levels and battery status)
• An instant assistance deactivation system for safety
• An optimised log-collection architecture for field monitoring
• A Preliminary Risk Analysis compliant with ISO 13849

The exoskeleton makes the mountains more accessible by assisting hikers in real time without altering their natural gait.

Tested by 63 hikers over 752 km, 45,000 m of elevation gain and 314 hours in real-world conditions, the product demonstrated its robustness on demanding terrain.

This approach delivered:

• An 80% satisfaction rate during independent 6- to 8-hour hikes—an unprecedented result for our client’s first test
• Discreet, transparent assistance: hikers forgot they were wearing the exoskeleton
• A product that is attractive, functional and discreet
• A unique biomechanical database to support the industrialization phase

This project lays the foundations for a new generation of active portables, with potential applications in rental services, senior assistance and professional mountain environments.

Kickmaker supported its client in transforming an exploratory ambition into a viable product, managing the entire programme over three years with 14 engineers.

The teams:

• Conducted a benchmark of existing solutions and a biomechanical study of the walking cycle
• Developed three PoCs and two EVTs through rapid iteration cycles, from the laboratory to alpine terrain
• Designed and validated the gait-detection and motor-assistance algorithm
• Conducted more than 100 morphological fitting sessions with a wide range of user profiles
• Ensured the complete integration of hardware, software and firmware into a single wearable system
• Prepared the industrialisation phase and formalised the lessons learned

By combining multidisciplinary expertise with rapid iteration capabilities, Kickmaker enabled the project to move from a blank sheet of paper to a product tested in real-world conditions, in close collaboration with the client’s internal teams.

Prototypes were produced and validated in the field to prepare for scaling up.