Knee injuries cost the U.S. more than $117 billion every year, sidelining athletes, military personnel, and everyday Americans in milliseconds.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA, November 25, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Today, Hippos Exoskeleton a human-performance technology startup, announces a breakthrough that could radically reduce ACL and orthopedic injuries: a soft, intuitive AI driven, sleek Ultra-Light Smart Knee Sleeve that deploys a micro-airbag to stabilize the knee in under 50 milliseconds!
Hippos Team recently tested their latest prototype at Cleveland Clinic's BioRobotics Center, one of the world's most respected biomechanics labs.
The revolutionary sleeve is the first textile-based system designed to reduce the combined forces that cause ligament rupture.
Cleveland Clinic Findings: A Soft Garment That Behaves Like Armor
Using a simVITRO robotic knee simulator, researchers tested Hippos' brace across the most dangerous injury conditions.
The results:
Valgus rotation reduced by approximately 11%
Anterior tibial translation reduced by about 9%
Internal rotation reduced by roughly 21%
Airbag deployment within 50 milliseconds (inside the ACL injury window)
On Track to Be the First Wearable Ultra-Light Smart Knee Sleeve to Predict and Prevent Injury in Real Time
Hippos integrates three proprietary technologies never before combined in a single garment:
1. On-device AI biomechanical engine analyzing joint angles and torque hundreds of times per second.
2. Ultra-fast micro-airbag actuator that deploys rapidly in 30-50 milliseconds, fast enough to intervene before ligament failure.
3. Intelligent textiles embedding sensors, circuitry, and airbags into a 200g Ultra-Light Smart Knee Sleeve.
Dr. Paul Saluan shares "Hippos has developed an intuitive protective knee sleeve that could reshape how we think about sports safety. The sleek AI-powered knee sleeve deploys a protective airbag in milliseconds. If early results continue to track, it may mark the first real breakthrough in decreasing ACL injuries in a generation."
The system resembles premium athletic apparel until the moment it becomes a soft exoskeleton.
Knee Injuries Affect Everyone - All Ages – All Levels of Fitness
ACL tears strike in milliseconds, destroying mobility for people of any age or fitness level. These injuries drastically change careers in the NFL – NHL – NBA etc., dash dreams of College and Olympic athletes, take the military out of the field, and sideline people in many other careers. In the U.S. military alone, 800,000 service members suffer musculoskeletal injuries annually, costing more than $3.7 billion and slowing unit readiness.
Retired III Armored Corps Surgeon Col Jason S. Wieman states "The Hippos ultralight AI knee sleeve airbag system represents a groundbreaking leap in protecting our Military. This innovative technology has the potential to save joints, careers, and keep armed forces in the field. This is the future of military medicine. Prevention, Protection, Performance."
Hippos - Born From the Injury That Ended a Young Athlete's Dream
Hippos cofounder Kylin Shaw tore his ACL at 17, just days before his Division-1 basketball trial. That moment ended his athletic future but launched him into software engineering, math, and eventually entrepreneurship. Years later, during a car accident, the airbag deployment gave him the idea that sparked Hippos.
Shaw teamed with Bhavy Metakar, a UK-based engineer who built a bionic arm at 17 and previously worked in defense systems.
Together they built a vision: a world where catastrophic injuries could be prevented in the first place.
Hippos Zeros in to Focus on Sports, Military, and Human Movement 2.0
Hippos is preparing large-scale trials with elite athletic programs and U.S. military units.
"This isn't the bulky uncomfortable knee brace of the past," Shaw says. "It's closer to Lululemon meets crash-airbag - powered by AI. And the knee is just the beginning."
Hippos is moving into developing a full ecosystem of soft exoskeletons for the hips, ankles, shoulders, and spine, using intelligent fabrics that act as a second layer of protection for the human body.
About Hippos Exoskeleton Inc.
Hippos Exoskeleton is a human-performance technology company pioneering the world's first soft exoskeleton lightweight AI-powered garments designed to predict and prevent musculoskeletal injuries in real time. Born from the lived experience of cofounder and former basketball hopeful Kylin Shaw's knee injury that ended his career. Hippos integrates advanced biomechanics, AI, soft robotics, and intelligent textiles into apparel that reacts faster than the human nervous system. Hippos' mission: to help humanity become an injury-free species. The company is based in San Francisco, with research collaborations across elite sports, defense, and clinical institutions.
Website: https://www.hippos.life
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