How will automation interact with humans in the future?

How to create synergies between humans and machines in the context of Industry 4.0?

The research group Cooperative Systems develops a framework for modeling and control of interactions between humans and machines. The individual strengths of human and machine are combined to achieve high performance systems, ready to meet future challenges of automatization. The fields of applications are e.g. Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, Robotics, Medical Technologies and Aerospace Engineering.

IntelliSpine-Recon - In silico planning, robotic training simulation, and outcome-driven learning for complex oncological spine surgery

Project Leader: Balint Varga
Project Partner: Heidelberg University

Surgeries for rare malignant spinal tumors are highly complex due to structures that are difficult to predict and prone to displacement, which is why nearly half of patients experience complications. The IntelliSpine-Recon consortium aims to reduce this risk using purely digital means, without additional interventions. To this end, KIT is developing a patient-specific, interactive in-silico training environment (“human-in-the-loop”) based on ROS2 and integrated with the dVRK platform. Using digital twin data, game-theoretic shared-control algorithms, and dynamic impedance fields, “haptic guardrails” are created that make critical risk zones physically perceptible to the surgeon and enable cooperative human-robot control.
 

AITONOMY - Artificial Intelligence-driven Traffic Optimization and Intelligent Battery Management for Interaction-Aware autnomous Mobility Systems

Project Leader: Balint Varga
https://aitnm.github.io/

The project aims to develop an integrated framework for autonomous, cooperative, and electric vehicles (ACEVs) that addresses two critical and interdependent challenges: ensuring safe and socially aware navigation in complex urban environments and managing battery health and energy efficiency. Easy data exchange is enabled through a unified layer, promoting cooperation between vehicles.

Development of a Novel Cooperative Standing Aid for Patients with Neurodegenerative Diseases

Project Leaders: Balint Varga and Julian Schneider

The goal of the collaborative project between ISKO Koch GmbH and KIT is to develop an innovative standing-up aid with autonomous support for patients with neurodegenerative diseases. For the first time, the electromechanical assistance is individually customized by using sensors to analyze the patient’s moment of inertia via motor-side resistance. According to the hypothesis, this measured parameter serves to categorize the severity of the disease. An algorithm evaluates the sensor signals and converts them into movements via actuators. A continuous feedback loop captures and processes these signals to continuously intervene in the movement process and dynamically adapt the assistance to individual needs.