Eythor Bender
Human performance systems builder at the intersection of endurance, technology, and design. Former CEO of Ekso Bionics. President at Ossur. TED Speaker. Founder of UNLS — Unleash Human Potential. Building Mizzion, an AI-driven performance intelligence platform for outdoor and endurance environments.
About
Eythor Bender builds human performance systems at the intersection of endurance, technology, and design. Former CEO of Ekso Bionics — developer of powered exoskeletons for rehabilitation and military use. President at Ossur, global leader in non-invasive orthopedic products. Founded and scaled companies in advanced prosthetics, robotics, and human augmentation. Today building UNLS — a unified approach to human performance where intelligence, environment, and the body operate as one system.
What I'm Building — UNLS Systems
Real-world systems shaping the future of human performance.
- Mizzion (Active) — Performance intelligence platform for outdoor and endurance environments. Combining AI, biometrics, and real-world signals to guide movement, health, and long-term wellbeing.
- Endurance Events (Evolving) — Immersive endurance experiences connecting athletes, environment, and data at the intersection of outdoor adventure, human performance, and technology.
- Levitate (Advisory) — Advanced prosthetic solutions for active amputees, including rehabilitation efforts in Ukraine.
- Robotics and Bionics (Past) — Leadership in wearable robotics and human augmentation at Ekso Bionics and Ossur.
- Advanced Prosthetics and Design (Past) — Founded a prosthetic design company pioneering personalized, design-driven prosthetics through advanced 3D printing and digital manufacturing.
Endurance
Ultra-distance trail running provides a real-world lens into resilience, decision-making, and human limits. These experiences directly inform how I build — from performance systems to long-term health and human potential. 100+ km distance per race. 10,000 m elevation gain. 3 continents. Writing: Endurance Signals.
Speaking Topics
- Human Augmentation and the Future of the Body — Lessons from building across exoskeletons, 3D printing, and bionic technologies.
- The Future of Performance and Health — How AI, data, and endurance are reshaping human capability.
- Endurance as a System for Leadership — What ultra-distance racing teaches about resilience, decision-making, and building under pressure.
- AI and Personalized Training — Using artificial intelligence to turn complex performance data into actionable insight.
Selected Talks and Media
- Human Exoskeletons for War and Healing — TED Talk, 1.5 million views
- Becoming Bionic — The New York Times
- Human Exoskeletons — CNN
- The Future of Prosthetics — BBC News
- UltraForm Podcast, Iceland, 2025
Selected Press
- Early Exoskeleton User Experience — IEEE Spectrum, 2025
- 3D Printing and the Future of Personalization — Financial Times, 2019
- The Digitalization of Prosthetics Is Transforming Recovery — Forbes, 2018
- Using 3D Printing to Change How We Look at Disability — Forbes, 2014
- Human Exoskeletons and the Future of Mobility — CNN, 2013
Featured Writing — Endurance Signals
- The Block That Didn't Need a Race — From Chiang Mai to Andorra, Marbella, and Tenerife — how the engine was built without a finish line.
- Building an Engine Before Vulcano — Preparing the body and mind for ultra-distance — training as architecture.
- Running as a Mirror — How UTMB became a reflection on performance, limits, and what athletes really need.
- From Data to Wisdom — Turning biometric signals into actionable intelligence for health and movement.
Contact
Email: hello@unls.ai
Website: eythorbender.com
UNLS — Unleash Human Potential