The exoskeleton equipment that Luo Yonghao failed to popularize has received a $50 million investment led by Ant Group and Meituan.

Half a year ago, at Luo Yonghao's "tech gala" that netizens complained about as "spending money to watch a three - hour advertisement", a real "dark horse" emerged.

At that event, Luo Yonghao put on an exoskeleton robot from Jike Technology and demonstrated climbing stairs on - site. During the demonstration, he climbed 3.2 meters in one go, saying it was effortless. He said this product made him save effort and feel relaxed, like adding an "extra boost" to his body.

However, at that time, this exoskeleton robot didn't cause much of a stir. On the one hand, many audiences complained that Luo Yonghao's show had too many product recommendations and was overly commercialized. By the end, people had no interest in learning the details of these products.

On the other hand, although the exoskeleton product is very cool and sci - fi, it is far from people's daily lives. Compared with more familiar products like mobile phones, drones, and AI products at the same press conference, its presence was further weakened, and few people discussed it.

But it is this product with little presence that has recently received real - money investment.

Recently, Jike Technology completed a $50 million Series B+ financing round, led by Ant Group and Meituan Longzhu, with Sofina and Granite Asia participating. So far, the total Series B financing of the company has reached $120 million, and behind it stand institutions such as IDG Capital, Sequoia China, Wuyuan Capital, and Guanghe Venture Capital.

A $50 million Series B+ financing is quite impressive in the still - early consumer - grade exoskeleton track. It will likely be written into history and be repeatedly mentioned in the future.

Just why can an exoskeleton, which seems far from ordinary people and not like a must - have, be jointly bet on by giants?

Is it time for humans to "ascend with machines"?

Although Jike Technology's products are indeed far from ordinary people, if we just look at the exoskeleton itself, it's not a new concept.

For many years, exoskeletons have existed in medical rehabilitation, industrial handling, and special - operation scenarios. Hospitals use them to help patients train to walk, factories use them to reduce the burden on workers during handling, and military and rescue scenarios value their load - bearing and long - distance movement capabilities.

However, traditional exoskeletons solve professional problems and target professional customers. They are often heavy, expensive, have a high usage threshold, and require professional personnel for debugging and maintenance. Even if ordinary people know they are cool, it's hard for them to imagine why they would buy one.

This is where Jike Technology differs from traditional industry players:

What Jike wants to do is to "extract" this set of things from professional equipment and transform it into an outdoor gear that can be directly worn.

The newly released Hypershell X series is priced from 6,999 yuan to 13,999 yuan in China, and its weight is controlled within 2 kilograms. Although this price doesn't seem cheap, it is much lower than that of medical equipment and industrial exoskeletons, falling into the consumption range of high - end outdoor gear and smart wearables.

It is only after the price and weight have come down that the exoskeleton has a chance to enter the purchase list of some ordinary consumers for the first time.

For users, compared with what kind of motors and algorithms it uses, what they really care about is that it makes their bodies feel lighter. When climbing slopes, mountains, hiking, or going up and down stairs, it makes them feel as light as a swallow.

Jike's solution is single - motor drive plus AI motion control.

According to official data, the response speed of the Hypershell X series is as low as 0.31 seconds, and the human - machine gait coordination efficiency reaches 97.5%. It can automatically adapt to different scenarios such as flat ground, stairs, steep slopes, and the wild, without users having to make frequent manual adjustments.

In addition, under laboratory - controlled conditions, the test data provided by Jike Technology shows that in the cycling scenario, it can achieve a maximum oxygen consumption reduction of 39.2% and a heart - rate reduction of 42.7%.

So, just looking at these data, Jike Technology's products are indeed more approachable than "humanoid robots":

Humanoid robots are about replacing humans, while exoskeletons are about enhancing humans. It doesn't need to enter your home to mop the floor or cook, nor does it need to have "dexterous hands". As long as it helps your body consume less energy when you're tired, climbing, or carrying a load, it has completed its mission.

It can also be said that the most exciting thing about Jike is that it turns the plot of "Iron Man" into a reality that ordinary people can buy with a swipe of their card. It tells the market that instead of waiting for the distant humanoid robots, it's better to spend about ten thousand yuan to give yourself an "extra boost".

Of course, having a reasonable product logic is just the first step.

For a new hardware category, it's more difficult to prove that there are really people willing to pay for it.

Tens of thousands of units have been sold

At least from the public data, Jike Technology is not just a robot project staying at the concept stage.

Data shows that Jike's current sales channels cover more than 70 countries around the world, with a cumulative shipment of tens of thousands of units. It has ranked first in sales volume and market share in the exoskeleton category on JD.com in China and also maintains a high ranking on platforms like Amazon in Europe and the United States.

Tens of thousands of units may not be much in the mature consumer - electronics tracks such as mobile phones, earphones, and smart watches. But in the consumer - grade exoskeleton segment, it's quite impressive.

Currently, there are not many players who have truly turned exoskeletons into consumer products for the C - end market and can sell them publicly and deliver them continuously. In the overseas consumer - grade exoskeleton track, Hypershell and Dnsys are often compared. Looking further, more exoskeleton companies still focus on medical, rehabilitation, and industrial routes.

For example, Cheng Tian Technology focuses more on the rehabilitation and elderly - care fields, Da'ai Robot is mainly for rehabilitation medical scenarios, and Aoshark Intelligence focuses more on industrial handling and factory assistance.

So, from the perspective of a "business closed - loop", Jike has at least taken a very important first step.

Tens of thousands of units shipped, channels in more than 70 countries, and sales performance on JD.com and overseas e - commerce platforms show that it's not just about the noise at the press conference. There are really a group of users willing to pay for "saving physical energy".

Of course, Jike has not disclosed clear revenue and profit data yet, so we can't directly say that it's already a mature business. But in the just - starting consumer - grade exoskeleton track, the shipment volume, channel coverage, and horizontal comparison are enough to make it one of the most representative players.

More importantly, not only ordinary consumers are buying it, but also industrial capitals like Ant and Meituan are starting to bet on its future possibilities.

For Ant, the exoskeleton may correspond to long - term entry points such as sports health, elderly - care assistance, and personal body enhancement. Although the closed - loop of this business is not clear enough, from the attributes of the exoskeleton, there is a very broad imagination space for the elderly at home and when going out.

Especially in scenarios such as going up and down stairs, walking for a long time, and repeated squatting and standing up, the exoskeleton has the opportunity to reduce the burden on the legs and lower the risk of some actions. This is also the most imaginable aspect in the direction of elderly - care assistance.

For Meituan, this imagination space is even simpler and more straightforward.

Instant delivery, warehousing, inspection, and urban logistics are all essentially related to people's mobility and load - bearing capacity. If the exoskeleton can stably reduce the physical burden in the future, it may become a tool to improve fulfillment efficiency and reduce labor intensity.

Moreover, in some news reports, it can already be seen that some instant - delivery and logistics companies have tried to use exoskeletons to reduce the handling burden of food - delivery riders and couriers, proving the value of exoskeletons in real - world scenarios.

So, the fact that capital is willing to invest at least shows that they see the possibility of a new hardware category moving from professional equipment to mass consumption and then spreading to more human - enhancement scenarios.

How far is it from the "iPhone" moment?

It is precisely because exoskeletons are moving from professional equipment to the consumer market that the outside world has higher expectations for this track.

From a market forecast perspective, exoskeletons are indeed in a stage of rapid growth. MarketsandMarkets predicts that the global exoskeleton market size will grow from $560 million in 2025 to $2.03 billion in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 29.4%. Grand View Research's prediction is relatively conservative, but it also believes that the global market will grow from $590 million in 2025 to $1.79 billion in 2033.

These predictions indicate that exoskeletons are entering a stage of faster growth, and the exoskeleton track including medical, industrial, rehabilitation, and consumer - grade scenarios will all welcome more opportunities.

If Jike wants to make consumer - grade exoskeletons truly have a moment similar to when the iPhone drove the popularization of smartphones, it still has to answer a few more practical questions.

First of all, mobile phones, earphones, and watches have become mass - consumer products because they meet daily needs: communication, entertainment, health monitoring, and sports recording.

The exoskeleton solves the problem of physical burden. This need really exists, but not everyone encounters it every day.

On the other hand, the safety of product use is also a major pain point that the entire category needs to face.

If a mobile phone lags, users may just feel annoyed; if earphones lose connection, it may just affect the experience. But the exoskeleton is directly involved in human movement. Once it makes inaccurate judgments in scenarios such as stairs, downhill slopes, and slippery roads and applies inappropriate external forces to the human limbs, it may bring the risk of limb injury.

So, what Jike Technology currently needs to solve most is to prove that exoskeletons can transform from professional equipment into consumer hardware and can be understood, purchased, and tried by ordinary users.

Half a year ago, it was just a product that few people seriously discussed at Luo Yonghao's "tech gala". Half a year later, it has received investment from Ant and Meituan.

But for the exoskeleton to transform from a "dark horse" in the eyes of capital into a daily equipment that ordinary people are willing to use for a long time, $50 million is just the beginning.

This article is from the WeChat official account "Blue Word Plan", author: Huang Xiaobin, published by 36Kr with authorization.