Skip, a wearable technology startup that started as a secretive project inside Alphabet, has come out of stealth mode to announce its partnership with outdoor clothing company Arc’teryx. The deal brings Skip’s “powered pants” to market. These special pants have a soft exoskeleton called MO/GO that helps people walk by providing 40% energy assistance and offloading work from their knees.
People can reserve the technology starting this week, and it will be shipped later this year. Initially, it will be available for rent near hiking destinations like the Grand Canyon. Skip first started working on this technology in 2021 when it was still a project inside Alphabet’s X Labs. However, between late 2023 and early 2024, Alphabet cut back resources at X as part of company-wide layoffs.
The founder and CEO of Skip, Kathryn Zealand, says that towards the end of 2023, it became clear that the technology wouldn’t fit well within Alphabet. They had to start fundraising and eventually raised $6 million. To go to market, Skip needed a fashion partner. After trying out several options, they chose Arc’teryx because their products combine form and function.
Skip plans to use hiking rentals to test MO/GO in real-world scenarios, but its main focus is on everyday wear. The initial cost of the technology will be $4,500, which might limit it to people who are already able-bodied. Skip is currently testing its system’s effectiveness in assisting conditions like Parkinson’s and hopes to have it covered by FSA (Flexible Spending Account) to make it more affordable.
In the short term, Skip aims to reduce the price of MO/GO by scaling up manufacturing. In the long term, they might aim for it to be classified as a medical device, which could take years.
Source: https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/26/alphabet-x-spinoff-skip-partners-with-arcteryx-to-bring-everyday-exoskeleton-to-market/