Development Story_The Birth of the Archelis

It all started from a request: reduce the burden on doctors

Hideyuki Fujisawa is the second-generation president of Nitto. Co., Ltd., an SME manufacturer mainly engaged in metalworking. Nitto, established 54 years ago, specializes in manufacturing its products under an integrated production system from development to mass production.

​One day, Fujisawa had an opportunity to meet with Hiroshi Kawahira, M.D., Ph. D., and Ryoichi Nakamura, Ph. D. in Engineering, both of whom served then as associate professors of Chiba University’s Center for Frontier Medical Engineering. They consulted Fujisawa about new product development, asking, “Would it be possible to reduce the burden on doctors who are forced to stand for long hours during surgical operations?”. Fujisawa, a professional engineer, and the two professors, experts in their respective fields, hit it off right away and enjoyed a lively conversation about this potential product. They even came up with some specific ideas on the spot.

Looking back at the reasons behind this, Fujisawa believes that all of the people there shared the same strong passion to help doctors who face tough work every day.

Development in unknown territory can require a change in perspective

Before getting down to the development, Fujisawa had a lot of concerns.
He knew that the most important thing for product development is not to make what the engineer wants to develop, but to work by putting yourself in the user’s shoes.

​​However, the medical sector was a completely unknown territory to Nitto. The company had had no experience in the field at all.

Although he came up with fresh ideas when meeting the doctors that day, Fujisawa soon found himself at a loss as to what to do.

​But then, a guiding hand from the surgeon who had made the initial request.
As Kawahira himself performed operations as an endoscopic surgical specialist, Fujisawa was able to learn the details of what was going on at the site from the viewpoint of medical professionals.

Kawahira had the idea of a “wearable chair allowing a user to walk.” He advised that such a chair could support surgeons without obstructing them in an operating room where a typical chair could not be used.​

​Taking advantage of the company’s integrated production system, the development team gave it a try and quickly succeeded in building up the first prototype, based on Kawahira’s idea.

Fujisawa named this prototype “Archelis” so that people could easily imagine its function as a chair allowing a user to walk (in Japanese, Archelis is pronounced “aru keru isu,” which directly translates to “walkable chair”).

From proof of concept to an ergonomically sound product

As the development team gradually improved upon their prototype, Nitto began to feel the potential of the Archelis.

Fujisawa contacted his old friend, designer Hiroaki Nishimura, to ask him to join the project to accelerate its development. After being engaged in product design at Japan’s electronics giant Panasonic, Nishimura set up his own business which promoted partnerships with SME manufacturers. Fujisawa was confident that Nishimura could help him bring new life to the product.

The design presented by Nishimura seamlessly combined the functions of the prototype unit with an ergonomic, human-friendly style, creating a visually appealing and functional end product. This marked the rebirth of the Archelis, with a design that is still in use today.​

Positive public response

Around then, the development of Archelis began to be covered by the media, both domestic and international.

The original purpose of the Archelis was to alleviate the pain of doctors who have to stand in the same place for a long time during the course of an operation.
However, immediately after the Archelis was introduced to the public by the media, the company received a flood of inquiries from people in industries outside of the medical field who wanted to use the product.

Plant operators, security guards, farmers, hairdressers, cooks – the number of jobs which involve standing is almost endless. The promise of a product that could relieve that pain evidently resonated with the public.

​ “The Archelis has a place in the market!” 

 “This product will be able to relieve the pain of so many people!”

These were the thoughts running through the company, which further motivated the development team.

​The hurdles faced in the development process

Even though Nitto was a manufacturer with a long and successful history of product development, the Archelis brought about challenges they had never faced before.

​Some of the issues they faced were:
– Human body shapes differ from person to person.
– It’s impossible to quantifiably measure what will be comfortable for an individual.
– As the joint movement of human bodies is complex, it was difficult to create an articulated structure that did not obstruct the user’s movement.
– What was easy for one person to wear might not be suitable for another person.

These kinds of challenges, as it turned out, could not be solved by using sophisticated measurement equipment and analysis software. Instead, the team decided to take the long and slower approach of crafting a prototype, testing it with as many people as possible, and integrating their feedback in the next iteration of the project.

This long journey of testing and rebuilding, taking two steps forward then one step back, was tough on the team. It sometimes felt like the work would never be done. However, for such a unique product there was no choice but to improve step by step, no matter how long it took.

Completion and launch

Despite this arduous process, Fujisawa found that the people involved in the Archelis project refused to give up.

Employees at the Nitto factory, who despite not being official members of the development team, helped Fujisawa by bringing whatever new ideas he came up with into reality at breakneck speed. He also received ideas about relevant mechanisms and processing from people in the same manufacturing industry. Furthermore, staff of the Yokohama municipal government and members of Yokohama Industrial Development Corporation (IDEC) took great care of the project and supported the development in various ways, including co-operation in conducting a monitoring survey.

​Finally, after 14 iterations and extensive trials with over 1000 people, the Archelis was brought to completion.

In February 2020, Archelis Inc. was established by splitting the Archelis development team from Nitto in order to more efficiently promote the widespread use of the Archelis.

​The Archelis, which was brought to market after various difficulties, has begun to be used not only in the medical field but also in plant sites requiring standing work.
It is in use both domestically in Japan, and also abroad across the globe from Brazil and the US, to Germany and Australia.

Today’s society is facing a host of issues, including labor shortages and a rapidly aging population. This, alongside the pressure for employers to provide safe, supportive environments for workers, shows the need for a product like Archelis. A product that strives for the realization of a society where people globally can lead longer, healthier working lives.

The goal of Archelis is the same as it was when it was first imagined – 

To remove the pain from standing work.