GRK 2761:  Seamless integration of assistance systems for natural locomotion of humans (LokoAssist)

• Subject Area: Systems Engineering
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 450821862

Leg prostheses, orthoses and exoskeletons can be denoted as active movement assistance systems, “assistive devices” for short, if they individually and situation-specifically detect the movement process and provide appropriate support by introducing external forces to the human body. Such an assistive device can be “seamlessly” integrated into the human body schema if it can automatically recognize different movement intentions and consequently generates an intuitive and predictable motor behavior, and thus integrates seamlessly into the daily experiences of movement. So far, new technological possibilities for active leg prostheses and orthoses have only been accepted to a limited extent by people with impaired motion ability. In order to develop innovative assistance systems and precisely tailor them to the needs of the users, a new, continuous systematic dialogue between the users and the experts involved in research and development of assistance systems is required.The new, particularly qualified generation of young scientists trained in the RTG LokoAssist is needed in order to leverage this potential in the rapidly growing field of active movement assistance systems. This generation will be able to focus on the support of people with their motor and psychological aspects and, by bridging the different disciplines, to consider and further develop the potential of new technological developments with aspects of human experience and interaction with the assistance system.In the RTG, researchers from human sciences, computer science, engineering, and medicine pursue two guiding principles:L1) Assistance systems are considered dual in their function. On the one hand, they support human movement (forward application, synthesis). On the other hand, they also examine and identify them (backward application, analysis).L2) Assistance systems are to be equally assessed in the degree of their body schema integration from different scientific (i.e. medical, orthopedic and human scientific) perspectives as well as through the individual experiences of the users, i.e., dual.In the GRK, doctoral candidates work together in common application scenarios across disciplines. With a comprehensive laboratory infrastructure and multiple demonstrators of new active orthoses and prostheses, there are excellent conditions for experimental and theoretical research work right from the start. The cooperation network with leading international research groups and partner organizations enables further qualification of the doctoral candidates through targeted research stays.

• DFG Programme: Research Training Groups
• Applicant Institution: Technische Universität Darmstadt
• Co-Applicant Institution: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg
• Spokesperson: Professor Dr. André Seyfarth
• Participating Researchers: Professor Dr.-Ing. Philipp Beckerle; Professorin Dr. Herta Flor; Professor Dr. Oliver Gutfleisch; Professor Dr. Mario Kupnik; Professorin Dr. Frauke Nees; Professor Jan Reinhard Peters, Ph.D.; Professor Dr.-Ing. Stephan Rinderknecht; Professorin Dr. Ruth Maria Stock-Homburg; Professor Dr. Oskar von Stryk; Professor Dr. Joachim Vogt; Professor Dr. Sebastian Wolf