Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate the mechanical, kinematic and biological aspects that would be required for a customized upper limb exoskeleton prototype operation. Design/methodology/approach -The research contained a literature survey, design, simulation, development and testing of an exoskeleton arm. Findings -An adjustable/customizable exoskeleton arm was developed with a kinematic model to allow the desired motion. Tests were performed to determine the feasibility of the system. Originality/value -The paper shows how the authors researched, designed and developed an exoskeleton arm that had similar mechanical properties to those of a biological arm. The exoskeleton must allow customization and be adaptable to the operator, without the need for major alterations.