Science Notes – Roboter und Cyborgs

Lectures

• Dr. Simon Binder | The neuroimplant: interface between man and machine

  People can already control a prosthesis with the help of their thoughts. A neuroimplant, which is inserted into the outer cortex of the brain and reads brain activity, makes this possible. The lecture presents research work on the "Utah Array" neuroimplant, as well as other approaches, such as biohybrid neuroimplants.

  Dr. Simon Binder studied electrical engineering and information technology at TU Darmstadt and TU Dresden and completed his doctorate in the field of sensor technology. After working at the University of Utah (USA) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), he will head a research group on biohybrid neuroimplants at the University of Freiburg from 2025.

• Martin Theis | Man's best friend

  Robots have long been among us. For some, this triggers fantasies of redemption, for others fears of overpowering machines. At the Cybathlon in Switzerland, researchers are demonstrating the great potential of high technology: overcoming physical limitations. What does this mean for our future?

  Martin Theis studied rhetoric and attended the reporting school in Reutlingen. He works as a freelance reporter and author. In his stories, he mainly reports on the consequences of climate change - and those who are fighting against it.

• Prof. Dr. Katja Mombaur | Humanoid Robots & Exoskeletons - Embodied Artificial Intelligence

  We are currently seeing rapid development in the field of humanoid robots and exoskeletons, also known as dressable robots. Humanoid robots are designed to support people in monotonous or dangerous tasks, while exoskeletons can improve the mobility of people with various disabilities. But what can robots really do at the moment? What are the difficulties that are being addressed in research? Robots need an embodied intelligence or motion intelligence that goes far beyond purely computer-based AI in order to be able to interact reliably and safely with the real world and with people.

  Prof. Dr. Katja Mombaur is a professor at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and heads the Chair of Optimization & Biomechanics in Human-Centred Robotics and the KIT BioRobotics Lab. She is also Canada Excellence Research Chair in Human-Centred Robotics & Machine Intelligence at the University of Waterloo. Her research focuses on understanding human motion through a combined approach of model-based optimization and experimentation and using this knowledge to improve the motion of humanoid robots and the interaction of humans with exoskeletons, prostheses and external mobility assistance robots.

• Prof. Dr. Barbara Bruno | Why should we care about Human-Robot Interaction?

  Robots are machines designed by humans to work alongside humans, for humans, or even with humans ... just like many other machines. But are robots truly just like other machines? Or is there something special about them, that affects the way we interact with them? In this talk we will discuss what makes robots "special" and why is this important.

  Prof. Dr. Barbara Bruno is a Tenure Track W1 Professor on "AI for Autonomous Systems" at the Institute of Anthropomatics and Robotics (IAR) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT, Germany). Barbara's research interests lie in Human-Robot Interaction, Social Robotics and Socially Assistive Robotics. Building on her Ph.D. research, she co-founded the start-up company Teseo, focusing on assistive technologies for older adults and in 2017-2019 was Technical Manager of the H2020 project CARESSES, which developed a culturally-competent care robot for older adults. In 2019-2023, as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL, Switzerland), she contributed to the MSCA ANIMATAS focusing on the development of socially assistive robots for education. Barbara holds an M.Sc. degree and Ph.D. degree in Robotics, both from the University of Genova, Italy. She is currently serving as Associate Editor for the IEEE "Robotics & Automation Letters" journal and the Springer journal on "Intelligent Service Robotics" and has contributed as organizer, invited speaker or panellist to a number of workshops and conferences on assistive robotics, personalized robotics and child-robot interaction.

• Prof. Dr. David Remy | Of people, animals and robots that walk

  Why do your legs hurt more after an hour in a museum than after two hours of walking? Why does the 50 km walking competition at the Olympic Games seem so strange? Why do we walk at low speeds and run at high speeds? Such entertaining questions at the interface of biology, mechanics and robotics are inevitable when trying to teach robots to stand on their own two feet.

  Prof. Dr. David Remy works in the Robotics and Motion Laboratory (RAMLab) at the University of Stuttgart. Among other things, he tests the research group's new robot there. Before his appointment to Stuttgart, he was an associate professor at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Music

• Moritz Simon Geist | Mad Science

  Moritz Simon Geist is a music producer and artist from Dresden. After studying mechanical engineering, he pursued an international music career. He works with robots to create electronic music. He debuted in 2012 with the mechanical drum robot "MR-808" and has been exploring sound generation and electronic music production with robots and mechanics ever since. His compositions are influenced by various electronic music styles as well as classical music. Geist has collaborated with artists such as Mouse On Mars, Tyondai Braxton or Robert Lippok and has presented his works and performances on several hundred occasions since 2012, including at the Venice Biennale, the South By Southwest Festival, the Philharmonie de Paris, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg or ZER01NE South Korea.