Exoskeletons first landed on my radar when I tried the Hypershell X Ultra at IFA 2025. A year later, the IFA 2026 show floor was filled with at least half a dozen options. One of them included a modular exoskeleton from Ascentiz. It is built to assist you at both the hip and the knee and can be modded to suit your needs. I tried it for a few minutes, walking around the show floor and climbing the stairs.

The Ascentiz exoskeleton is built around an Exo-Belt, which acts as the shared core for modular stuff. It allows you to attach individual joint modules depending on the activity at hand. It houses a battery and the buttons to control the speed and switch between modes. It is quick to wear, thanks to a quick-release MOLLE attachment mechanism called AZ-Lock.

You can attach the hip module (Ascentiz-H) for forward propulsion during running and climbing or the knee module (Ascentiz-K) for impact reduction and descent control. If you need both, you can combine them to get an H+K configuration for heavy-duty support.

“We chose modularity because people do not move in one way or need the same assistance all the time,” said Cody Kou, Vice President of Ascentiz, in a press release. “Different activities place different demands on the hips and knees. We believe wearable robotics should evolve with those needs, rather than lock every capability into one fixed device. Our goal is to build a platform that can keep gaining new capabilities over time, rather than asking users to start over with each new generation.”

I tried the Ultra model (offers 1100W of power and more runtime vs. 1000W on the Ascentiz H Pro) with the knee module, and it felt smooth after the initial few minutes. It assisted me at just the right time during each stride to make my movements feel natural. Plus, the weight didn’t bother me at all. And at the end of my brief testing, it was easy to take off, like pulling out a few clippers.

The Ascentiz-H Ultra hip module is available through the company’s online store for $1,699, while you can get the H Pro model for $1,299. You can purchase the modules for an extra amount. The full set, with both hip and knee assistance, will be made available for $2,499 to $3,399, depending on the model of your choice.