u/Willy-Wonkas-Willy

Recently watched a comparison video that looked at several consumer exoskeletons by weight, comfort, portability, and ease of use. Before that, I mostly thought of exoskeletons as hip-assist devices like dnsys or hypershell. Those are easy to understand: hiking, uphill walking, longer distances, and reducing fatigue. What surprised me was that the video also mentioned knee and even ankle exoskeletons. It made me realize this field may be split by joint and use case.

Compared with hip exoskeletons, knee exoskeletons are technically more difficult, but I feel that knee exoskeletons seem especially interesting. Because so many mobility issues involve the knees: stairs, downhill walking, standing up, injury recovery, and aging.

That made me wonder: are knees the bigger challenge and opportunity here? Hip-assist devices may catch on first, but could knee exoskeletons matter more in the long run?

Which joint do you think has the most potential for consumer exoskeletons?