Would You Buy $5,000 Pants That Can Go Hiking For You?

Would you buy $5,000 pants that can go hiking for you? These are truly one-of-a-kind and that's why they're so expensive.

Hiking and activewear apparel is known for getting creative. They can stretch the boundary of what we deem acceptable. Remember those water shoes that had toes? Those were strange but people actually wore them. Camelbacks and more became popular thanks to hiking and hikers. Now, is a $5,000 pair of pants that can go hiking for you next? It sounds wild, but it's a real thing (real expensive).

According to CNN, "technical outerwear brand Arc'teryx and wearable technology startup Skip have teamed up to create exoskeleton hiking pants, powered by AI, in a style of clothing they're calling "movewear." The pants officially launch in 2025, but are available to rent and try out now."

First, I understand the rise of artificial intelligence, it's everywhere and it's only going to grow from here. However, do I really need to wear AI clothing? Doesn't that sound like a bit much? If I'm into hiking then I'm going to want to go for a hike--that's part of the draw! Buying pants that essentially do it for me wouldn't be as exciting. Maybe for someone who doesn't want to hiking and begrudgingly goes along with a hiking trip might like it? However, I highly doubt that's their target market here.

You can see a picture of the unique pants here. It sounds like these pants have a built-in exoskeleton that gives you 40% more leg power. That's significant! I get the possible benefits of them but it still sounds so strange to wear AI pants, or any sort of clothing. Also, $5,000 a pair? Here I am thinking jeans are expensive and they can't hold a candle to that! I feel like it takes away from the joys and the best part of hiking. According to CNET, the company is now taking $99 preorders that will reduce the price from $5,000 to $4,500. By preordering now you will get them shipped to you in January of 2026. You need to be patient! Which at that price I'm sure you have the luxury of being patient and can find something to take up your time in the meantime. Also, the powered module reportedly weighs 2 pounds per leg! That might weigh you down a bit and you'll need some AI powered pants to help you finish your hike.

The future is now obviously, well when I wrote that, that was the past. Now, um... now it's the present. What I will write next will be the future. You get the idea. We live in a time people in the distant past only dreamt about. Our time is one of incredible advancements in technology. There was a time when the abacus was the top dog in technology. And now our iPhones sure make that look incredibly stupid. Yes, the wonders of tomorrow are seemingly today... these technological advancements have real potential to help society and continue propelling us forward... or they could bring about our doom. Here's 5 technological advancements that I find both amazing and also terrifying to my core!

One area of humanity that I'm assuming all creative types of people were not worried about was robots taking over was the art world. How could a machine possibly replicate the the human experience's interpretation of the world around us and then placing the magnificence onto a canvas. Surely only humans have the emotional depth to create what we consider art. There's absolutely no way a machine could do that better than us. Well, turns out they can. And not only can they do art... they do art BETTER than artists that are featured in the Colorado State Fair. Sorry, to Colorado's modern day Van Gogh's but... you got your asses kicked by artificial intelligence and the nerd that learned how to use it.

I guess that our only course of action, should robots rise to power is to see what James Cameron thinks we should do. We all saw 'Terminator 2.' We know that the last thing we need is liquid terminators. They are an extra pain in the ass. A robot that can shift its shape and squeeze through about anything is definitely the stuff of nightmares. Unless we can get to a molten metal factory or steal a truck with a bunch of liquid nitrogen, I really don't know what we will do when this magnetic slime robot becomes self aware.

There are plenty of anime with giant battling mechs and mech suits. Nerds sure love this stuff. The idea of having a giant mech suit we can hop into to fight the giant mechs we created that are destroying our cities should at least give you some comfort. Sure, right now all we have to worry about are drones and robot dogs... but the right Dr. Wiley from Megaman type of scientist comes along and what do ya know... giant robots are terrorizing everyone and making their day extra sh**y. This guy built his own mech suit, so he's ready. But for the rest of us we are at a real disadvantage for whatever dystopian mech future awaits us.

I've talked about it before on Dave and Chuck The Freak. The frightening idea of microscopic robots. The good thing is that the medical application of robots built on a microscopic scale could be completely world-changing in the area of healthcare. But I can't help but imagine the nightmare of someone blowing a bunch of them on you then having them crawl into your orifices, ultimately getting into your bloodstream and brain and controlling you like a zombie. I obviously have problems.

What is the one thing that can make scary robots even scarier? Well, if they were dead spiders of course. Scientists have recently discovered how to reanimate spiders to use their legs to work on components that are extremely small. Hey, scientists... seriously? Friggin zombie spider robots? Sure they seem harmless now... but what if one person gets their hands on the ability to make the spiders the size of buildings? What then, scientists?! Yeah, then probably don't do any more work on the zombie spider robot program.

[newsletter-signup label="Sign me for Dave & Chuck The Freak's 'Unsolicited' Email Newsletter!" description="Join now to receive the Dave & Chuck The Freak's 'Unsolicited' Email Newsletter. You'll get access to recaps of the best stories of the week, the Peep Show of the week, as well as weekly 'Street Bits' episodes, an uncensored Dave & Chuck the Freak exclusive, available only to subscribers." color="#000000" checkbox_content="By clicking "Subscribe" I agree to the website's terms of Service and Privacy Policy. I understand I can unsubscribe at any time." logo="https://daveandchuckthefreak.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/114/2022/10/logo.png" subscription_attributes="list_dave_chuck_daily_download" subscription_id="d9e7fee0-47e7-4227-aa4e-de1b352047d4" ]