Robotic exoskeletons help Chinese tourists climb the country’s most punishing mountain

機(jī)器外骨骼幫助中國(guó)游客攀登中國(guó)最嚴(yán)酷的山峰

By Joyce Jiang, CNN
Published 5:26 AM EST, Fri February 14, 2025
Climbers watch the sunrise on New Year's Day on Mount Tai on January 1, 2025, in Taian, Shandong Province in eastern China. Chen Yang/VCG/Getty Images

2025年1月1日，登山者在中國(guó)東部的山東省泰安市的泰山上觀看元旦日出。

A towering 5,000 feet high, with more than 7,000 steps, Mount Tai, in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, is known for turning legs to jelly for anyone game for scaling to the top.

泰山高 5,000 英尺，有 7,000 多級(jí)臺(tái)階，位于中國(guó)東部的山東省，以將任何都想爬上山頂?shù)娜说碾p腿變的像果凍而聞名。

Videos all over Chinese social media, such as TikTok’s sister app Douyin, show even the fittest hikers shaking, collapsing or trying to climb downhill on all fours.

中國(guó)社交媒體上的視頻，比如TikTok的姊妹應(yīng)用抖音，都在顯示即使是最健康的徒步旅行者/背包客也會(huì)顫抖著、癱倒著或試圖四肢著地的爬下山。

Some visitors hire “climbing buddies” to help them make the summit.

一些游客雇傭“登山伙伴”來(lái)幫助他們到達(dá)頂峰。

But tourism officials in Shandong have come up with another idea: robotic legs.

但山東的旅游局人員提出了另一個(gè)主意：機(jī)器（人）腿。

On January 29, the first day of Chinese New Year, ten AI-powered exoskeletons debuted at Mount Tai (Taishan in Mandarin), attracting over 200 users for a fee of 60 yuan to 80 yuan ($8 - $11 USD) per use during a week-long trial, according to xinhua News Agency.

據(jù)新華社報(bào)道，1月29日，農(nóng)歷新年的第一天，10臺(tái)人工智能支持的外骨骼在泰山首次亮相，在為期一周的試用期間，吸引了200多名用戶，每次使用的費(fèi)用為60元至80元（8至11美元）。

Co-developed by Taishan Cultural Tourism Group and Kenqing Technology, a Shenzhen-based tech company, this device is designed to wrap around users’ waists and thighs and weighs in at just 1.8 kilograms, according to the firm’s product introduction.

根據(jù)該公司的產(chǎn)品介紹，該設(shè)備由泰山文旅集團(tuán)和深圳科技公司肯綮科技共同開發(fā)，被設(shè)計(jì)成纏繞用戶的腰部和大腿，重量?jī)H為1.8公斤。

Powered by AI algorithms, it can sense users’ movements and provide “synchronized assistance” to ease the burden of legs, according to Kenqing Technology.

據(jù)肯綮科技稱，在AI算法的支持下，它可以感知用戶的動(dòng)作并提供“同步協(xié)助”以減輕腿部負(fù)擔(dān)。


Chinese climbers use robotic exoskeletons while scaling Mount Tai in eastern China. Taishan Cultural Tourism Group

在攀登中國(guó)東部的泰山時(shí)，中國(guó)登山者使用機(jī)器人外骨骼。

Each robotic exoskeleton runs on two batteries, lasting for about five hours, according to Wang Houzhe, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Taishan Cultural Tourism Group. It generally takes six hours to climb to the top.

據(jù)臺(tái)山文旅集團(tuán)黨委副書記王厚哲（音譯）稱，每個(gè)機(jī)器外骨骼都使用兩塊電池運(yùn)行，續(xù)航時(shí)間約為5小時(shí)。而爬到山頂通常需要六個(gè)小時(shí)。

“It really works!” Li Chengde, a 68-year-old tourist from the capital Jinan, told state-run xinhua News Agency after trying out the device. “It felt like someone was pulling me uphill!”

“這真的很有效！”來(lái)自首府濟(jì)南的68歲游客李承德（音譯）在試用該設(shè)備后告訴官方媒體新華社?！案杏X就像有人在拖我上山！”

“This can help more people hike up the mountain and enjoy the scenery of Mount Tai… without it being too strenuous,” Wang told Chinese state media.

“這可以幫助更多的人爬山，欣賞泰山的風(fēng)景......但又不會(huì)太費(fèi)力，“王告訴中國(guó)官方媒體。

Jacky, a content creator from Shandong who requested a pseudonym for privacy reasons, tested the device last Sunday for half an hour over hundreds of steps.

來(lái)自山東的內(nèi)容創(chuàng)作者Jacky出于隱私原因要求使用化名，上周日對(duì)該設(shè)備進(jìn)行了半小時(shí)超過(guò)數(shù)百步的測(cè)試。

While echoing the general positive feedback as many others, he told CNN there is still room for improvement.

雖然與許多其他人一樣，他給出了大體正面的反饋意見，但他告訴CNN，仍有改進(jìn)的余地。

“The experience is definitely easier,” he said about climbing with the device on. “But once I took it off, I felt a bit clumsy walking (on my own).”

“（我的）體驗(yàn)是肯定更便捷，”他談到穿戴著該設(shè)備攀登時(shí)說(shuō)?！暗且坏┪艺滤揖陀X得（自己）走路有點(diǎn)笨拙。”

The 29-year-old said he felt like a “puppet” with the machine doing all the work but once he got used to not exerting himself, it was “really tiring” after he removed the exoskeleton and went back to climbing of his own power.

這位 29 歲的年輕人說(shuō)，他覺得自己就像一個(gè)“木偶”，機(jī)器完成了所有的工作/動(dòng)作，不過(guò)一旦他習(xí)慣了不消耗自己的精力/體力，在他拿開/解除外骨骼并重新開始靠自己的力量攀登后，他（感覺）“真的很累”。

Jacky added he also found the device inconvenient when he needed to use the bathroom and tie his shoelaces while wearing it. The exoskeleton requires extra hands to put on and take off and fully squatting down could risk breaking the tight straps.

Jacky 補(bǔ)充說(shuō)，他還發(fā)現(xiàn)該設(shè)備不方便之處，當(dāng)他穿戴著它需要上廁所和系鞋帶的時(shí)候。外骨骼需要額外的幫助才能穿和脫，完全蹲下可能會(huì)有破壞/拉斷緊繃的帶子的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)。

He also said that the battery needed more juice.

他還說(shuō)那些電池需要有更多的電量。

Wang from the Taishan Cultural Tourism Group said the team will extend battery life and set up replacement spots along the hiking trails, according to Chinese state-lixed media.

據(jù)中國(guó)官方媒體報(bào)道，臺(tái)山文化旅游集團(tuán)的 王表示，（設(shè)計(jì)）團(tuán)隊(duì)將延長(zhǎng)電池壽命，并在徒步路徑的沿線設(shè)置替換點(diǎn)。

Currently in beta testing, the exoskeletons are expected to hit the mass market in early March, according to the local publicity department.

據(jù)當(dāng)?shù)匦麄鞑块T稱，目前處于beta測(cè)試階段的外骨骼預(yù)計(jì)將于3月初投放大眾市場(chǎng)。

Chinese climbers wear robotic exoskeletons while climbing Mount Tai in Shangdong, Eastern China. Taishan Cultural Tourism Group

在中國(guó)東部山東攀登泰山時(shí)，中國(guó)登山者穿戴機(jī)器外骨骼。

Despite a few hiccups, Jacky deems the exoskeleton robots a “good product” and a “true blessing” for the elderly, children and mobility-impaired visitors. Half of the hikers who opted to try out the prototype exoskeletons at Mount Tai were senior citizens.

盡管出現(xiàn)了一些小問題，但Jacky認(rèn)為外骨骼機(jī)器是“好產(chǎn)品”，是老人、兒童和行動(dòng)不便游客的“真正福氣”。選擇在泰山嘗試原型外骨骼的徒步旅行者中有一半是老年人。

In addition to making mountain climbing a whole lot easier, these walking supports have sparked online discussions about their wider applications in a country grappling with a rapidly ageing population.

除了使登山變得更加容易之外，這些步行輔助（設(shè)備）還引發(fā)了關(guān)于它們更廣泛應(yīng)用的在線討論，（因?yàn)椋┰搰?guó)正努力應(yīng)對(duì)人口的迅速老齡化。

Last year, 22% of China’s population was over 60, and that figure is expected to rise to 30% by 2035, with the elderly population surpassing 400 million, according to the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics.

根據(jù)中國(guó)國(guó)家統(tǒng)計(jì)局的數(shù)據(jù)，去年，中國(guó)22%的人口超過(guò)60歲，預(yù)計(jì)到2035年，這一數(shù)字將上升到30%，老年人口將超過(guò)4億。

And the market size of smart elderly care in China was estimated at 6.8 trillion yuan (about $934 billion) in 2024, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported.

據(jù)中國(guó)國(guó)家電視臺(tái)央視報(bào)道，到2024年，中國(guó)智慧養(yǎng)老的市場(chǎng)規(guī)模估計(jì)為6.8萬(wàn)億元人民幣（約合9340億美元）。

Kenqing Technology, the robotic exoskeletons’ co-developer, which was founded in 2015, is eyeing this vast elderly care market. It has rolled out an exoskeleton specifically designed for elderly users, weighing 2.4 kilograms and priced at 17,000 yuan ($2,334 USD) on China’s e-commerce giant Taobao.

機(jī)器外骨骼的聯(lián)合開發(fā)商肯綮科技，成立于2015年，正在關(guān)注這個(gè)巨大的老年護(hù)理市場(chǎng)。它在中國(guó)電子商務(wù)巨頭淘寶上推出了一款專為老年用戶設(shè)計(jì)的外骨骼，重2.4公斤，售價(jià)17,000元（2,334美元）。

To fully unlock the potential of elderly care robots, industry insiders told xinhua News Agency that stronger policy support is needed to scale up their production while keeping prices affordable for all.

為了充分釋放養(yǎng)老機(jī)器人的潛力，業(yè)內(nèi)人士告訴新華社，需要更有力的政策支持來(lái)擴(kuò)大其生產(chǎn)規(guī)模，同時(shí)保持所有人都能負(fù)擔(dān)得起的價(jià)格。

Editor’s Note: CNN’s Chris Lau contributed reporting.