Human-Centered Robotics

The use of autonomous robots in the direct environment of humans requires an interdisciplinary approach to address technical, legal, psychological and ethical issues and to create a high level of “transparency” and trustworthiness of the system RoboTrust. Special challenges also arise when abilities lost to humans are to be restored, for example, via “prostheses and orthoses” or intelligent robotics are to enable self-determined and barrier-free mobility WalkerChair.

As part of the Walkerchair and DIMO project, several concepts for innovative wheelchairs and assistance functions were investigated to make life easier for wheelchair users.
To this end, several software and hardware demonstrators were developed to evaluate technologies for safely negotiating various steps and stairs with high payloads, among other things.
The demonstrator shown here is particularly agile and maneuverable and has a user interface that can be operated entirely by joystick.

All-Wheel Steering Demonstrator

In the scope of the BioRob project, a novel type of compliant robot arms for applications in automation was developed and tested, for which conventional industrial robots are suitable only to a limited extent. Through the passive compliance, a high level of safety is achieved, making the bionic robot suitable for applications in the direct environment of humans without the use of additional safety precautions.

www.biobiped.en

The vision of humanoid robots which mimic abilities of humans has inspired researchers for decades. Yet transferring human abilities into a robotic counterpart has proven to be highly challenging in most cases. The recently launched BioBiped project aims at realizing human-like three-dimensional running, walking and standing and herewith allowing the free selection of speed and gait. For achieving this goal, the SIM Group of TU Darmstadt and the Locomotion Laboratory of TU Darmstadt cooperate in this project.

www.biobiped.de

Research in Prosthetics at Technische Universität Darmstadt is performed in interdisciplinary cooperation between the departments of mechanical engineering, human sciences and computer science.

In the interdisciplinary project on user-friendly, active lower limb prostheses enabling technoglogies for such systems and methodological principles for their development are investigated to provide a basis for user-friendly and energy-efficient prostheses that actively support gait. The project involves the following institutions:

  • Institute for Mechatronic Systems in Mechanical Engineering IMS
  • Work and Engineering Psychology Group FAI
  • Simulation, Systems Optimization, and Robotics Group SIM