The Skelex exoskeleton designed for overhead work and heavy occupational tasks. The exoskeleton is designed to empower workers and enhance their capabilities, particularly in industries such as welding, plastering, mechanics, and painting.

Co-Creation

The development of the exoskeleton involves collaboration between different teams. The Van Berlo Design Agency initially developed the textile parts of the exoskeleton, while Bolster Softgoods has been involved since the first production series, contributing to improvements based on market feedback.

Materials
The exoskeleton is built for durability and safety. It incorporates components crafted with Tencate TecaSafe (Plus)® and Kevlar ® Nomax ® materials, making them fire and flame retardant, oil and water repellent, and static repellent. This makes it suitable for industrial settings and heavy occupational tasks.

Adjustability

The exoskeleton offers numerous adjustment options, including different sizes for arm cups (S, M, and L) and a softgoods set sold separately that includes personal arm cups and harnesses for multiple users. The exoskeleton features PVC labels for the standard suit and embroidered labels for the flame-retardant version, providing guidance to users on how to adapt the suit. Textile labels on the inside of the hip belt offer additional explanations about the adjustment process.

Textile Parts
The textile components of the exoskeleton include a hip belt with elastic, webbing, and plastic sheet material for reinforcement. Assembled injection molded parts connect the textile components to the springs. The reinforced back straps connect the top part of the harness to the springs. An ergonomic arm cup is a critical component for transferring spring force to the arms and ensuring user comfort. The arm cup is made of EVA foam with textile layers using the thermoforming technique.

The collaboration between Skelex and Bolster involves connecting various hardware connecting parts of Skelex with Bolster’s textile components. The cooperation is crucial to maintain this connection and has been ongoing during the product’s continuous development.