Startup City Project Japan

Removing strain from standing works

Archelis is a Yokohama-based hardware startup with a mission to free humanity from the pain and injury of standing work. The company was born out of its founder and CEO Hideyuki Fujisawa’s project to use his engineering expertise to develop gear for doctors to reduce their physical burden from standing while performing surgery in response to a physician’s request. The company’s first product, “archelis” has received numerous awards, including a reddot award (2020) and a Silver Award in IAUD’s (International Association for Universal Design) International Design Award (2019).

OUR PRODUCT

“archelisFX” is an exoskeleton suit that protects factory workers against leg and lower-back strains that can be caused by standing for hours on end. Made to fit comfortably around one’s legs, archelisFX enables wearers to walk, bend their knees freely, and “sit” (or rest) anywhere while standing — meaning that factories can start using the product right away without making any workspace changes. The suit is also all-mechanical and does not require any electricity to operate. archelisFX helps employers attract a diverse workforce and avoid labor shortages amid the aging society, because it significantly reduces physical burden of factory labor on workers, enabling older people and those with physical limitations to work. archelisFX is designed to ergonomically fit any individual. Weighing only 2 kg per leg, the assist suit is easy to walk in, thanks to the use of lightweight yet tough and stable flexcarbon as material. In addition, archelisFX is environmentally friendly because it’s all mechanical and does not require any power source to wear it. archelisFX won the Good Design Award, IF Design Award and Red Dot Award, becoming the world’s only exoskeleton assist suit to be recognized in all these three major design awards.