Interview
How the Japanese startup Archelis is removing strain from standing work

In the medical field, doctors and surgeons have to stand for hours, performing delicate and often sensitive tasks, where small errors can have huge impacts on the health of patients. In factories, too, workers are often standing for hours at a time, and the physical stress can not only harm their health but also their productivity.

Technology could help make medical and factory worker safer and healthier. In recent years, there has been significant growth in one tool aimed at providing support for anyone who has to stand for a long time: exoskeletons, an external skeleton that supports the body. The global market for exoskeletons is now worth 330 million USD and is growing by an astounding 17% a year.

In Japan, one of the startups leading in this space is Archelis, founded in 2020 by Hideyuki Fujisawa, the president and engineer at Nitto, and based in Yokohama. Archelis specializes in the sale and rental of a single but highly adaptable product, also called Archelis, a wearable exoskeleton suit designed to alleviate leg fatigue during prolonged standing tasks.

The project of archelis has been started by Hideyuki Fujisawa and Hiroshi Kawahira and Ryoichi Nakamura, who were both associate professors at Chiba University’s Center for Frontier Medical Engineering. Their initial focus was on the medical market, with a mission to develop a human-friendly product that would help surgeons reduce pain and fatigue from standing through the long hours of operations.

“This product is designed with a very simple structure and requires no battery or electricity,” said Katsuhiko Saho, Archelis’ Chief Executive Officer, who joined the company after being impressed with the product while working as a consultant.

“Our product primarily focuses on aiding standing work. That is the main difference compared to other exoskeleton products,” added Saho.

Once fitted to the legs, Archelis redistributes the user's weight across the shins and thighs, facilitating extended periods of standing. The company's mission is to harness technology and design to liberate people from the physical strains of standing, promoting a global society where everyone can enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

“Surgeons in particular have expressed that Archelis is indispensable for them and that they feel a noticeable difference in fatigue levels on days after surgery,” said Saho.

The feedback from others has also been positive. In 2020, Archelis was honored with the Red Dot Design Award for its innovative, user-friendly system, including the fact that it conveniently fits into any surgical environment without requiring dedicated space. They’ve also won the Good Design Award, the Merit Award, the IF Design Award, and the grand prize at the YOXO Business Grand Prix 2021.

Archelis initially launched in Japan and focused on medical workers, but has expanded significantly. One big shift was to also market to factory workers, who, Saho notes, face some of the same challenges as surgeons.

“In the Japanese market, factory workers face fatigue, and the aging population and lack of human resources adds to this,” says Saho. “So far, we’ve received comments from factories that Archelis not only reduces fatigue but also contributes to improving the relationship between workers and management.”

Reaching factory workers required a different marketing model, though. With surgeons and doctors, sales could be made directly, but for factory , it had to involve other stakeholders, not only workers but also the factory owners and managers. That means it has to be a product that can demonstrate benefits in their work environment.

The expansion to factories is a sign that Archelis can be adapted for many settings. What sets Archelis apart is its mechanical nature; it operates without cords, requires no charging, and is user-friendly. Users can adjust the wearable chair in three simple steps for each leg—foot, shin, and thigh. This also means it can easily be adapted for other environments, including outside of hospitals.

The next step is to go global. With the support of JETRO, Archelis launched in Europe in late 2022, and while it’s still early, are seeing success reaching new distributors and differentiating themselves in a complex, vast market. In the future, Archelis hopes to expand its product line to better meet global consumer desires. They’ve already had to make one modification, creating a bigger size to meet the needs of the European and United States markets.

“We currently offer only one product, but in the future, we would like to establish more product lines to better cater to customer needs,” said Saho.

Moreover, the company has, so far, only worked in the business-to-business market, selling to companies. But their product, being lightweight and easy to use, could be beneficial to consumers who need support at home or with other tasks that require standing.

“We are not just an exoskeleton company, but rather a company that solves standing work issues,” said Saho. “I would like to challenge ourselves over the next five years to continue developing products and services and contribute more to solving standing work issues.”