Speaker
Description
In this talk, I will give an overview of ongoing and planned research of my new chair "Optimization and Biomechanics for Human-Centred Robotics" at KIT and my CERC "Human-Centred Robotics and Machine Intelligence" at the University of Waterloo.
Human-centred robots are predicted to have a large societal impact in the future, e.g. in form of humanoid robots supporting people in dangerous or monotonous jobs. They also can take the form of wearable robots or physical assistive systems enhancing and restoring mobility and independence of seniors or patients with impairments. In order to take human-centred robots to this level, still a number of challenges have to be solved, since these robots have to enter in close physical interaction with humans in a safe and socially acceptable manner. For this, they require motion intelligence which makes them aware of the mechanics of their own motions and lets them predict the actions of humans. In our research, we aim to gain a fundamental understanding of the biomechanics of human movement and human-human and human-robot interaction and to develop tailored multibody system models for humans and robots including detailed contact models. Model-based optimization and optimal control play and important role in motion analysis, prediction and control, and can be efficiently combined with model-free methods. This talk covers examples ranging from human movement studies in sports to balancing and bimanual manipulation tasks in humanoid robots and robotic rollators and exoskeletons to support activities of daily living. I will also talk about our very active collaboration with Y. Hirata from Tohoku University and would be happy to identify possibilities for further collaborations with HeKKSaGOn partners in robotics.
