The Personal Exoskeletons Are Coming—Here's What It Means

Nike just announced a groundbreaking new sneaker​ that includes an advanced exoskeleton to make walking and running easier. It's essentially a bionic shoe. The upside in terms of bringing mobility to those who struggle now due to disability or age is clear. What's less clear is exactly what this will mean for the rest of us when this technology becomes more mainstream.

What about backyard sports or using these sorts of enhancements in club sports leagues? How will people push themselves, perhaps beyond their own reasonable athletic limits, due to an outsized perception of their own abilities caused by this sort of magic wearable? These are the sorts of questions that devices like this will bring and so far, there seems to be little thought given to these implications.

Right now, there are plenty of inventions that are on the cusp of allowing humans to enhance all sorts of abilities. I suspect in a few months I'll see many more of these at CES 2026. It's worth raising the question of what corresponding cultural conversations might arise as these sorts of enhancements become more commonly used. It's not as futuristic a question as it once seemed.