机器外骨骼帮助中国游客攀登中国最严酷的山峰

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

机器外骨骼帮助中国游客攀登中国最严酷的山峰

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，登山者在中国东部的山东省泰安市的泰山上观看元旦日出。

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 多级台阶，位于中国东部的山东省，以将任何都想爬上山顶的人的双腿变的像果冻而闻名。

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.

中国社交媒体上的视频，比如TikTok的姊妹应用抖音，都在显示即使是最健康的徒步旅行者/背包客也会颤抖着、瘫倒着或试图四肢着地的爬下山。

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

一些游客雇佣“登山伙伴”来帮助他们到达顶峰。

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

但山东的旅游局人员提出了另一个主意：机器（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.

据新华社报道，1月29日，农历新年的第一天，10台人工智能支持的外骨骼在泰山首次亮相，在为期一周的试用期间，吸引了200多名用户，每次使用的费用为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.

根据该公司的产品介绍，该设备由泰山文旅集团和深圳科技公司肯綮科技共同开发，被设计成缠绕用户的腰部和大腿，重量仅为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.

据肯綮科技称，在AI算法的支持下，它可以感知用户的动作并提供“同步协助”以减轻腿部负担。

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

在攀登中国东部的泰山时，中国登山者使用机器人外骨骼。

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.

据台山文旅集团党委副书记王厚哲（音译）称，每个机器外骨骼都使用两块电池运行，续航时间约为5小时。而爬到山顶通常需要六个小时。

“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!”

“这真的很有效！”来自首府济南的68岁游客李承德（音译）在试用该设备后告诉官方媒体新华社。“感觉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.

“这可以帮助更多的人爬山，欣赏泰山的风景......但又不会太费力，“王告诉中国官方媒体。

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.

来自山东的内容创作者Jacky出于隐私原因要求使用化名，上周日对该设备进行了半小时超过数百步的测试。

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

虽然与许多其他人一样，他给出了大体正面的反馈意见，但他告诉CNN，仍有改进的余地。

“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）体验是肯定更便捷，”他谈到穿戴着该设备攀登时说。“但是一旦我摘下它，我就觉得（自己）走路有点笨拙。”
原创翻译：龙腾网 https://www.ltaaa.cn 转载请注明出处

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.

这位 29 岁的年轻人说，他觉得自己就像一个“木偶”，机器完成了所有的工作/动作，不过一旦他习惯了不消耗自己的精力/体力，在他拿开/解除外骨骼并重新开始靠自己的力量攀登后，他（感觉）“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 补充说，他还发现该设备不方便之处，当他穿戴着它需要上厕所和系鞋带的时候。外骨骼需要额外的帮助才能穿和脱，完全蹲下可能会有破坏/拉断紧绷的带子的风险。

He also said that the battery needed more juice.

他还说那些电池需要有更多的电量。

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.

据中国官方媒体报道，台山文化旅游集团的王表示，（设计）团队将延长电池寿命，并在徒步路径的沿线设置替换点。

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

据当地宣传部门称，目前处于beta测试阶段的外骨骼预计将于3月初投放大众市场。

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

在中国东部山东攀登泰山时，中国登山者穿戴机器外骨骼。

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.

尽管出现了一些小问题，但Jacky认为外骨骼机器是“好产品”，是老人、儿童和行动不便游客的“真正福气”。选择在泰山尝试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.

除了使登山变得更加容易之外，这些步行辅助（设备）还引发了关于它们更广泛应用的在线讨论，（因为）该国正努力应对人口的迅速老龄化。

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.

根据中国国家统计局的数据，去年，中国22%的人口超过60岁，预计到2035年，这一数字将上升到30%，老年人口将超过4亿。

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.

据中国国家电视台央视报道，到2024年，中国智慧养老的市场规模估计为6.8万亿元人民币（约合9340亿美元）。

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.

机器外骨骼的联合开发商肯綮科技，成立于2015年，正在关注这个巨大的老年护理市场。它在中国电子商务巨头淘宝上推出了一款专为老年用户设计的外骨骼，重2.4公斤，售价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.

为了充分释放养老机器人的潜力，业内人士告诉新华社，需要更有力的政策支持来扩大其生产规模，同时保持所有人都能负担得起的价格。

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