Abstract
Exoskeletons exemplify intimate body-technology entanglements, where user experience is inherently corporeal. Despite their increasing presence in industrial and emerging consumer markets, current development methods often neglect the embodied dimensions of these devices. This paper explores what it means to design for the working body in the context of occupational exoskeletons. Drawing from our design practice and qualitative interviews in automotive and logistics, we identify tensions across three areas: (1) user and context research, inclusive and (2) body-sensitive development processes, and (3) the semiotics and social meaning of exoskeletons. We highlight challenges such as normalized risk and harm, limited attention to anthropometric diversity, constraints on safe prototyping, and risks of stigma and dehumanization. Simultaneously, we identify opportunities to position exoskeletons as cues for body awareness, health-related self-efficacy, and reflective work practices. Finally, we propose actionable recommendations to advance exoskeleton design, emphasizing embodied, situated experience.
Keywords
user experience; embodied experience; development process; exoskeletons
DOI
https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1797
Citation
Papp-Schmitt, E., Wölfel, C., Söker, T., and Krzywinski, J. (2026) Designing for the Working Body: Challenges in the Development of Occupational Exoskeletons, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1797
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Included in
Designing for the Working Body: Challenges in the Development of Occupational Exoskeletons
Exoskeletons exemplify intimate body-technology entanglements, where user experience is inherently corporeal. Despite their increasing presence in industrial and emerging consumer markets, current development methods often neglect the embodied dimensions of these devices. This paper explores what it means to design for the working body in the context of occupational exoskeletons. Drawing from our design practice and qualitative interviews in automotive and logistics, we identify tensions across three areas: (1) user and context research, inclusive and (2) body-sensitive development processes, and (3) the semiotics and social meaning of exoskeletons. We highlight challenges such as normalized risk and harm, limited attention to anthropometric diversity, constraints on safe prototyping, and risks of stigma and dehumanization. Simultaneously, we identify opportunities to position exoskeletons as cues for body awareness, health-related self-efficacy, and reflective work practices. Finally, we propose actionable recommendations to advance exoskeleton design, emphasizing embodied, situated experience.