Exceptional field theory has been a useful technique in the investigation of supergravity. In this talk I will demonstrate that it can be applied to the world-volume point of view as well, as an alternative symmetry principle to supersymmetry — for example, giving rise to a brane scan. I present the construction of half-BPS brane sigma models in string and M-theory using only data from exceptional generalised geometry. When employing exceptional generalisd geometry these sigma models take a universal form in their Hamiltonian formulation which is expected to extend also to the enigmatic exotic branes. (Based on 2402.10269)