Industrial exoskeletons: models, uses and prices

01What is an industrial exoskeleton?

An industrial exoskeleton is a wearable device that supports the back, shoulders, arms or hips of a worker during lifting, bending or overhead tasks. It does not lift the load in the worker’s place: it takes part of the strain off muscles and joints, and the worker keeps control of every movement.

Exoskeletons are used where people still handle loads by hand: parcel and pallet handling in logistics, assembly lines, overhead installation, construction finishing, agriculture and airport ground handling. They complement lifting aids and workstation redesign. They do not replace them.

The word exoskeleton also covers medical devices used in rehabilitation. This guide covers occupational models. Rehabilitation needs are covered in a short section below.

02Powered and passive exoskeletons

Exoskeletons fall into two groups, defined by their source of energy.

• Powered (active) exoskeletons use electric motors and a battery. They give the highest published assistance, usually stated as a lifting assist in kilograms: 30 kg for ULS FIT-HV Pro, up to 38 kg for German Bionic Exia and up to 40 kg for Kenqing Ant-W1, according to their manufacturers. They weigh more and must be charged.
• Passive exoskeletons store energy in springs, gas springs or elastic textile elements and return it when the worker straightens up or raises the arms. They need no battery and are lighter: ULS PES-B weighs 0.8 kg. Their assistance is stated as a load reduction or a torque, for example up to 56 % on the back for SUITX IX BACK AIR.

The second distinction is the body area. Back and lumbar exoskeletons support lifting and bending. Shoulder and arm exoskeletons support work above shoulder height. Hip exoskeletons support walking: Hypershell designs its X series for walking and hiking and lists field inspection rounds among its uses.

03Professional use cases

• Logistics and warehousing: repeated parcel lifting, truck loading and unloading, palletising. Powered back models target high lift counts: Kenqing rates Kenqing Ant-W1 at 4 to 6 h or 2,000 lifts per charge.
• Manufacturing and assembly: bending over workpieces and holding tools at shoulder height. Laevo V2 is designed for static bent-over work; Comau MATE-XT GO for overhead assembly.
• Construction: overhead drilling, ceiling installation, finishing work and material handling on site. Shoulder models such as Auxivo DeltaSuit and SUITX IX SHOULDER AIR, and textile lifting models such as Auxivo LiftSuit 2.0, follow changing postures.
• Airport ground handling and energy: ULS lists airport ground handling for FIT-HV Pro and PES-B, and wind energy maintenance for PES-B.
• Care: German Bionic lists hospitals and care homes for Exia, and Kenqing lists nursing and elder care for Q20.

Start from an ergonomic assessment of the workstation: which movement, how many times per shift, which weight, in which posture. That list points to the body area and then to the type.

04How to choose an exoskeleton

1. Body area and task: back for lifting and bending, shoulders for work above shoulder height, hips for walking. A back exoskeleton does nothing for overhead work.
2. Level of assistance: compare like with like. Powered models state a lifting assist in kilograms (20 kg for Kenqing Q20, up to 17 kg for SUITX IX BACK VOLTON); passive models state a load reduction in percent or a torque in N·m.
3. Weight of the device: it is worn for the whole shift. Published values range from 0.8 kg (ULS PES-B) to 8.5 kg with battery (Kenqing Ant-W1).
4. Runtime and charging of powered models: compare them with the shift. Japet.W+ runs 7 h and recharges in 2.5 h, SUITX IX BACK VOLTON runs up to 10 h, ULS FIT-HV Pro runs 3 to 8 h and recharges in 60 minutes. Swappable batteries, as on German Bionic Exia and Kenqing A10, allow multi-shift use.
5. Environment: dust, water and cold. Kenqing Ant-W1 and Q20 are rated IP56, Laevo FLEX IP55 and German Bionic Exia IP54. Kenqing states -20 to 45 °C for Ant-W1.
6. Fit and donning: sizes, user height range and time to put on. Japet.W+ is fitted in 30 s and SUITX IX BACK AIR in under 20 s, according to their manufacturers. Kenqing Q20 covers users from 150 to 190 cm.
7. Hygiene and maintenance: washable textile parts (machine-washable on Auxivo LiftSuit 2.0), service life of springs and pads, availability of wear parts in Europe.
8. Software and data: German Bionic Exia receives over-the-air updates and ULS FIT-HV Pro offers an open API, according to their manufacturers.

Then run a trial with the operators who will wear the device. Acceptance by the wearer decides whether an exoskeleton is still used after the first month.

05Comparison of 10 exoskeletons

A dash means the value is not published by the manufacturer or not yet confirmed. Each manufacturer measures assistance its own way: the figures rank models within a type, not across types.

Other public prices, excl. VAT: Hypershell X Pro S from 829 €, Auxivo DeltaSuit from 2,440 €, Comau MATE-XT from 4,490 €. These are starting prices, before options, delivery and training.

06Rehabilitation and medical exoskeletons

Rehabilitation exoskeletons help patients relearn to walk or to move a limb, under medical supervision, in hospitals and rehabilitation centres. They are medical devices and follow their own selection process. Robot Distribution lists them in a separate family: see rehabilitation robots.

Some occupational models also hold a medical certification. Japet.W+ is a CE Class IIa medical device, according to Japet, and is used in manufacturing plants, logistics and the food industry. The manufacturer’s declaration of conformity states the legislation under which each model is sold.

07CE marking and European rules

An exoskeleton sold in the European Union carries the CE marking under the legislation that applies to its design and intended use: machinery legislation, the Personal Protective Equipment Regulation (EU) 2016/425 or the Medical Devices Regulation (EU) 2017/745. Comau states PPE Category II under Regulation (EU) 2016/425 for MATE-XT GO, and Laevo certifies its exoskeletons as personal protective equipment.

Machinery rules are changing. The Machinery Regulation (EU) 2023/1230 applies from 20 January 2027 and replaces the Machinery Directive 2006/42/EC. Our guide to the Machinery Regulation 2027 explains what changes for buyers.

Ask for these documents before ordering:

• the EU declaration of conformity, which names the legislation and the standards applied;
• the user manual in the language of the country of use;
• the instructions for cleaning, inspection and replacement of wear parts;
• for powered models, the battery charging, storage and transport instructions.

An exoskeleton does not replace the employer’s risk assessment. Include it in the assessment of the workstation and train the wearers.

08Buy, rent or subscribe with Robot Distribution

Robot Distribution sells and rents occupational exoskeletons and offers them on a monthly subscription (RaaS) across Europe.

• Purchase: public starting prices excl. VAT are shown on robot pages. Models without a public price are quoted.
• Rental: a short rental to test a model with your teams, or a longer one for a seasonal peak.
• RaaS: a fixed monthly fee over 36 months, from 149 € excl. VAT per month for Comau MATE-XT and from 159 € for Japet.W+. The quote lists the services included.
• Demo: try several models in our showroom in Tourcoing, near Lille, before choosing.
• After-sales: support across Europe, wear parts and batteries, and training of the wearers.

See rental and RaaS, book a visit to the showroom or request a quote.