Why These Very Special Pants Developed by Google Cost $5,000 ?

© Arc'teryx

Some clothes can be very expensive, sometimes for no real technical reason. When it comes to this prototype from Canadian equipment manufacturer Arc’teryx, the price is just as excessive as the embedded technologies. The piece of fabric is in fact sold for just under $5,000. Built in collaboration with Skip, a subsidiary of Google's X Labs group, these pants are actually exoskeletons.

Named MO/GO, these pants like no other have allowed Canadian brand Arc’teryx to take a big step forward in the use of exoskeletons in everyday life. Concretely, these unique pants are equipped with two electric motors located at knee level. Thanks to these mechanical solutions, the strength of the legs is multiplied. According to the Canadian company, it would be possible to gain 13 kilograms with these pants.

Pants with limited autonomy

In concrete terms, these pants weigh 3 kilograms with the two motors and their rechargeable batteries. The Canadian brand promises a three-hour walking autonomy. The product is primarily designed for hikers, to facilitate their ascent. However, it could be used for a diverted medical purpose.

As Skip, the product's co-founder, explains, the electric assistance automatically varies depending on the gait. The product, currently presented as a prototype, is expected to arrive in late 2025. While waiting for its general sales, it is already possible to try the MO/GO for eight-hour rentals on certain hiking trails in the United States and Canada. The experience will nevertheless cost 80 dollars per person.

The exoskeleton: the future of clothing ?

The presentation of this new product demonstrates in any case the interest shown by technology firms for exoskeleton solutions. If the medical world has already been using these solutions for several years, they are starting to appear in the civilian world, with recreational or professional uses.

Exoskeletons are notably used in the construction trades. They help reduce workload and physical constraints by strengthening certain parts of the body. As a reminder, the construction industry is the first sector affected by MSDs (musculoskeletal disorders).

Recently, the wearing of an exoskeleton has been making the rounds on social networks with the unique story of Kévin Piette. Paraplegic since a motorcycle accident, the 36-year-old was able to walk a few meters, the Olympic flame in his hand, in the streets of his hometown Poissy in Yvelines.

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