Most people are aware that walking, or being active in general, is healthy. However, the struggle is often in motivating oneself to go out and walk regularly, especially when it feels like a chore or an obligation.
Factors such as a sore knee from the previous day, a long workday, a cold evening, or even a rainy morning can lead to skipping a walk. While these reasons may seem minor and individually reasonable, they accumulate over time, gradually turning the habit of walking into the habit of not walking.
The VIGX Pi Plus, an AI-powered exoskeleton, aims to change this dynamic. It doesn’t make walking effortless, but it significantly reduces the cost of each walk, each step, making it less difficult to come up with excuses not to go outside.
The VIGX is a lightweight exoskeleton worn around the waist and upper legs. It offloads overall effort by around 30%. A built-in AI system analyzes the wearer’s gait and adjusts accordingly. The device becomes less like an external attachment and more like an extension of natural walking. And also running, hiking, and biking.
However, having control over the level of support is also helpful. Too much “power” could make a walk feel like being pulled along. Too little, particularly on hills, can make you tired faster. So, while you can set it to default, you can also control the level of assistance with two buttons on the belt. For regular flat-ground walking, most people want a minor boost that improves endurance. Levels 3 to 6 are generally enough. For more challenging walks or walks with more hills, you can go up as high as 15. In the same way as a bike has gears, the VIGX Pi Plus is like having gears for your legs.
The surprising aspect of the VIGX is that some report it starts to feel lighter, not heavier, over time. Weighing around 4.5 pounds, some may wonder if it starts feeling heavy after a while. On the contrary, after about half an hour of use, it may start to feel like there is nothing on your legs at all.
The reason behind this is quite simple. By taking on a portion of the walking workload, the device reduces the fatigue that typically accumulates during extended walks. The dull soreness that often sets in around the 45-minute mark is either delayed or completely absent. And so, with reduced leg fatigue, the walk feels more effortless, and the weight of the device fades into the background.
How More Walking Adds Up Over a Year
When walks become less tiring, people tend to walk more often. The minor reasons to skip a walk lose their significance when walking itself becomes less burdensome.
Let’s consider an example. If using the VIGX encourages someone to walk 45 minutes instead of 30 minutes, three times a week, that amounts to an additional hour and a half of walking each week. Over a year, this translates to more than 75 extra hours of physical activity. The key factor here is not a change in motivation or the introduction of a new training plan. The difference arises in the natural course of a walk, and so the extra exercise seems to happen effortlessly.
Building a Walking Habit with Help from an Exoskeleton
The initial weeks of any new walking routine can often be the most challenging. Legs that aren’t used to walking a lot may feel sore and tired for a while. A sore knee the morning after is often enough to knock someone out of their new routine. The walking habit may not fully take root.
This is where the VIGX proves particularly helpful. Because it is offloading effort, it is at the same time eliminating excuses. Essentially, the logic becomes: “I can’t think of any reasons not to walk today, so I will walk today.” Once the habit is established, the challenge becomes finding your new limits, seeing how far you can go, how many hills you can climb, which new sights you can see.
Interestingly, commuters often benefit from the VIGX in ways unrelated to fitness goals. A typical urban commute involves more walking than most realize. Subway stations have long staircases, and blocks add up. Being on one’s feet for part of the morning before even arriving at work can already lead to fatigue throughout the day. By evening, the legs have been working for hours.
Wearing the VIGX during a walking commute means arriving at the office feeling more energized, less sweaty, and getting home without feeling every step. For individuals whose jobs require standing or whose commutes cover long distances on foot (like many New Yorkers), this day-long support can make a noticeable difference in mood, not just in muscles.
On top of this, it having an exoskeleton makes it easier to choose walking over alternatives, like skipping the bus for a few stops, taking the stairs instead of the escalator, or walking an extra block on the way home. These small choices add up, and they become easier to make when walking costs less.
Practical details for daily use
Battery life is not a concern for most walkers. The 24,000-step rating comfortably covers a full day at lower assist levels. If a battery does need replacement, it simply clicks out and back in without shutting down the device.
The belt controls are straightforward enough that most wearers stop noticing them within a few walks. Power on, set the level, and start walking.
Who it’s truly for
The VIGX Pi Plus is not just for serious hikers or runners. Many wearers are individuals who simply want to be more active without dealing with tiredness, and who want to do more with the energy they have, which makes perfect sense.
The goal was never to make walking effortless. Instead, it aims to make walking a sustainable activity that people can continue doing week after week, year after year.
For more information about the VIGX Pi series, visit vigx.ai.
