- The startup will debut its four-motor Halo exoskeleton at IFA 2026, targeting the fast-growing consumer market
- Its first-generation products have already reached more than 70 countries and regions
Hypershell (极壳科技) will unveil its flagship Halo exoskeleton at IFA 2026 in Berlin on September 3, marking a high-profile push by a Chinese consumer exoskeleton maker into the global market.
The company will present Halo at 3 p.m. local time on September 3, followed by a public exhibition of the new product and its X series from September 4 to 8 at Hall 12, booth 119.
Halo uses an integrated multi-joint design with four assistive motors across the left and right hip and knee joints.
By coordinating assistance across the lower-limb kinetic chain, the system is designed to provide support across different terrains and postures.
A departure from conventional design
The configuration represents a departure from the industry’s more common two-motor hip-assistance design.
By extending powered assistance to the knees, Hypershell aims to improve performance on more demanding terrain while broadening the range of movements the device can support.
Founded in 2021 and headquartered in Shanghai, Hypershell was among the early companies to bring powered exoskeletons into the consumer market.
Its first X-series product entered mass production in December 2024. Weighing 1.8 kilograms, it can reduce reported muscle fatigue by 63% and lower heart rate by as much as 42%.
The company delivered about 30,000 units globally in 2025, with products sold across more than 70 countries and regions. North America, Europe and China are its three largest markets.
Hypershell raised a combined $120 million across its Series B funding rounds between November 2025 and May 2026, attracting investors including Ant Group, Meituan Dragonball Capital, HongShan and IDG Capital. Its valuation has surpassed 2.7 billion yuan ($402 million).
Moving beyond rehabilitation
The consumer exoskeleton market remains small compared with industrial and medical applications, but demand is accelerating.
Global exoskeleton shipments reached 128,000 units in 2025, with consumer devices accounting for only a fraction of the total.
According to China’s Ministry of Commerce, online retail sales of smart mobility-assistance exoskeletons jumped 785.5% year on year during the first four months of 2026.
Several Chinese cities and provinces have also included exoskeleton products in consumer subsidy programs, with Shanghai offering subsidies of up to 20% for certain senior-friendly exoskeleton products.
Fortune Business Insights, a market consultancy, forecast the global wearable exoskeleton market could reach $64.23 billion by 2034, up from about $2.49 billion in 2025.
Why it matters globally
For global investors, Hypershell’s choice of IFA to debut Halo is as much a statement about international ambitions as it is a product launch.
The company has already built a global footprint of 30,000 deliveries across more than 70 markets and completed human-gait coordination validation with TÜV Rheinland in Germany.
More importantly, Halo reflects a shift in China’s role in the consumer exoskeleton market.
The sector’s technological leadership has historically been associated with companies such as Ekso Bionics, Cyberdyne and ReWalk, which have focused heavily on medical and rehabilitation applications.
Hypershell is taking a different route, positioning exoskeletons as wearable consumer equipment rather than specialized medical devices.
Its expansion from China into overseas markets suggests that Chinese hardware companies may be able to compete globally not simply through lower prices or contract manufacturing, but by helping define entirely new consumer categories.
