Hong Kong
NCS
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A towering 5,000 ft excessive, with greater than 7,000 steps, Mount Tai, in the japanese Chinese province of Shandong, is understood for turning legs to jelly for anybody sport for scaling to the prime.
Videos throughout Chinese social media, comparable to TikTook’s sister app Douyin, present even the fittest hikers shaking, collapsing or attempting to climb downhill on all fours.
Some guests rent “climbing buddies” to help them make the summit.
But tourism officers in Shandong have give you one other concept: robotic legs.
On January 29, the first day of Chinese New Year, ten AI-powered exoskeletons debuted at Mount Tai (Taishan in Mandarin), attracting over 200 customers for a charge of 60 yuan to 80 yuan ($8 – $11 USD) per use throughout a week-long trial, in accordance with Xinhua News Agency.
Co-developed by Taishan Cultural Tourism Group and Kenqing Technology, a Shenzhen-based tech firm, this machine is designed to wrap round customers’ waists and thighs and weighs in at simply 1.8 kilograms, in accordance with the agency’s product introduction.
Powered by AI algorithms, it may well sense customers’ actions and supply “synchronized assistance” to ease the burden of legs, in accordance with Kenqing Technology.
Each robotic exoskeleton runs on two batteries, lasting for about 5 hours, in accordance with Wang Houzhe, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Taishan Cultural Tourism Group. It usually takes six hours to climb to the prime.
“It really works!” Li Chengde, a 68-year-old vacationer from the capital Jinan, informed state-run Xinhua News Agency after attempting out the machine. “It felt like someone was pulling me uphill!”
“This can help more people hike up the mountain and enjoy the scenery of Mount Tai… without it being too strenuous,” Wang informed Chinese state media.
Jacky, a content material creator from Shandong who requested a pseudonym for privateness causes, examined the machine final Sunday for half an hour over lots of of steps.
While echoing the normal optimistic suggestions as many others, he informed NCS there’s nonetheless room for enchancment.
“The experience is definitely easier,” he mentioned about climbing with the machine on. “But once I took it off, I felt a bit clumsy walking (on my own).”
The 29-year-old mentioned he felt like a “puppet” with the machine doing all the work however as soon as he acquired used to not exerting himself, it was “really tiring” after he eliminated the exoskeleton and went again to climbing of his personal energy.
Jacky added he additionally discovered the machine inconvenient when he wanted to make use of the rest room and tie his shoelaces whereas sporting it. The exoskeleton requires additional palms to placed on and take off and absolutely squatting down might threat breaking the tight straps.
He additionally mentioned that the battery wanted extra juice.
Wang from the Taishan Cultural Tourism Group mentioned the workforce will prolong battery life and arrange alternative spots alongside the mountain climbing trails, in accordance with Chinese state-linked media.
Currently in beta testing, the exoskeletons are anticipated to hit the mass market in early March, in accordance with the native publicity division.
Despite a couple of hiccups, Jacky deems the exoskeleton robots a “good product” and a “true blessing” for the aged, kids and mobility-impaired guests. Half of the hikers who opted to check out the prototype exoskeletons at Mount Tai had been senior residents.
In addition to creating mountain climbing a complete lot simpler, these strolling helps have sparked on-line discussions about their wider functions in a rustic grappling with a rapidly aging population.
Last yr, 22% of China’s inhabitants was over 60, and that determine is predicted to rise to 30% by 2035, with the aged inhabitants surpassing 400 million, in accordance with the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics.
And the market dimension of good aged care in China was estimated at 6.8 trillion yuan (about $934 billion) in 2024, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Kenqing Technology, the robotic exoskeletons’ co-developer, which was based in 2015, is eyeing this huge aged care market. It has rolled out an exoskeleton particularly designed for aged customers, weighing 2.4 kilograms and priced at 17,000 yuan ($2,334 USD) on China’s e-commerce giant Taobao.
To absolutely unlock the potential of aged care robots, trade insiders informed Xinhua News Agency that stronger coverage assist is required to scale up their manufacturing whereas holding costs reasonably priced for all.
Editor’s Note: NCS’s Chris Lau contributed reporting. This article was first printed in February 2025 and has been up to date.