Projects

Human locomotion movements are of paramount importance for a successful task completion in everyday life and sports. Central research activities of the interdisciplinary applicant team from the IfSS focus on the control and biomechanics of locomotion movements, how these are affected by training and learning, musculoskeletal disorders (e.g. osteoarthritis) or age-related degradation processes and diseases (e.g. dementia). In addition, various topics in the field of human-technology interaction are addressed. For example, the influence of sports technologies (e.g. running shoes), medical technologies (e.g. orthoses) or robotic components (e.g. exoskeletons) on the control and biomechanics of human locomotion movements. Moreover, research on biomarkers is conducted for early identification of critical overload situations.
The approved large-scale research device is a treadmill that offers the IfSS a unique research environment for addressing the above outlined research topics under ecologically valid and at the same time controlled conditions. Particularly noteworthy are the diverse functionalities of the treadmill, such as two separate belts with integrated force measurement units; various perturbation options; locomotion at different speeds and inclinations with self-selected or preset speed; a virtual reality (VR) functionality that provides real-time visual feedback for different movement scenarios on a projection screen in front of the treadmill, which is synchronized with the movements of the treadmill (e.g. inclines and perturbations); time-synchronous integration of additional measuring systems (e.g. motion capture) and the real-time display of biomechanical variables via a projection screen for gait training applications. The treadmill integrates and synchronizes all the above-mentioned functionalities by a modifiable system software. Consequently, the treadmill can be used in experiments for complex biomechanical analysis and is additionally a powerful training device in the context of intervention studies.
The treadmill fits perfectly into the existing laboratory infrastructure at the IfSS (e.g. compatibility with the existing motion capture system). The device enables the applicant team to address new, cross-disciplinary research questions in the context of human locomotion. Furthermore, it supports a better integration of research between the professorships at IfSS and the KIT for various, socially relevant target groups at the interface of sports science (e.g., motor control, biomechanics and health sciences), medicine (e.g., orthopedics and physiology) as well as computer science and engineering (e.g., robotics).

Duration

• 2024 -2029

Partners

• Prof. Dr. Alexander Woll (IfSS)
• Prof. Dr. Stefan Sell (IfSS)
• Prof. Dr. Achim Bub (IfSS)

Funding

• Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Patients with knee osteoarthritis are often limited in their  physical activity and experience a reduction in their quality of life. An adequate amount of physical activity, and the resulting joint loading is of  great importance in slowing down the progression of the disease. However, it is very difficult for patients to determine an acceptable duration and intensity of activity to consequently avoid overloading, pain and loss of function. Mobile healthcare technologies can provide support in finding an adequate loading level and can expand existing preventive interventions. Objective feedback on the state of movement and load of the affected knee joint can provide specific adjustment of movement behavior. The aims of this research project are to test whether an intelligent knee brace is able to estimate the load condition in the knee joint with sufficient accuracy and the evaluation of a four-week use of the intelligent knee brace on the physical activity behavior and the pain level of patients with gonarthrosis.

Duration

• 2022 - 2026

Partners

• Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA

The loss of cartilage volume in the inside part of the knee joint is a major cause of disability. Beside other non-pharmacological conservative treatments, knee braces can provide an effective disease-enhancing intervention for improving knee joint function and for reducing pain. Patients with medio-tibiofemoral knee osteoarthritis commonly show a varus knee malalignment, which can lead to changes in the internal loadings on the knee joint structures as well as modifications in the gait patterns. Therefore, the purpose of this project is to analyze the effectiveness of an innovative knee brace to reduce the loading of the medial knee compartment as well as to improve pathological gait biomechanics. Furthermore, effects of the knee brace on symptoms such as knee pain and functional impairments will be investigated.

Duration

• 2021 - 2023

Funding

• Bauerfeind AG

Hip osteoarthritis is associated with joint pain and functional limitations and is a leading cause for impairment in the older population. When the personal suffering of patients is too great and conservative treatment methods no longer help, pain relief and restoration of the activity level can be achieved by means of a total hip replacement. Despite a good clinical functional outcome, deviations in the gait pattern often remain and can lead to osteoarthritis in neighboring joints. The goal of our subproject is to predict which patients are susceptible to an unfavorable course after total hip arthroplasty (i.e. characterized by deviations in gait patterns and increased joint loads) and thus have an increased risk of developing osteoarthritis in adjacent joints. Early identification is necessary to optimize rehabilitation after total hip replacement and reduce treatment costs for the healthcare system.

Duration

• 2022 - 2025

Partners

• Dr. Stefan van Drongelen (Klinik für Orthopädie (Friedrichsheim) des Universitätsklinikums Frankfurt)

The aim of the collaborative research project "JuBot – Young at heart with robots: Versatile assistance robotics for managing everyday life" is to develop humanoid robots and exoskeletons with assistance functions that support elderly people in accomplishing everyday tasks. Thereby, the focus is on personalizing the assistance functions in order to optimally adapt the systems to the very individual needs of older people. The project is divided into four research areas: (A) Mechano-Informatics of Assistive Robot Technologies, (B) Personalized and Context-Sensitive Assistance, (C) Motor and Cognitive Training, and (D) Future Living with Assistive Robots. The scientific contribution of the BioMotion Center is assigned to research area (C). Specifically, the goal is to develop coupled biomechanical human-robot models to optimize the personalization process. Furthermore, concepts are developed how the motor performance of elderly people can be diagnosed with the help of humanoid robot systems and exoskeletons and how motor performance can be improved or maintained by robot-assisted, personalized training programs.

Duration

• 2021 - 2026

Partners

• Prof. Dr.-Ing. T. Asfour (IAR, KIT)
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. B. Deml (ifab, KIT)
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. B. Hein (IAR, KIT)
• Prof. Dr.-Ing. S. Matthiesen (IPEK, KIT)
• Prof. Dr. A. Woll (IfSS, KIT)
• Dr. J. Krell-Rösch (IfSS, KIT)

Funding

• Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung

Physical education teachers may be confronted with the following challenges: (1) Describing and analyzing sports movements and understanding them from a biomechanical perspective are central components of physical education in high school. Due to the lack of a basic understanding of physical quantities (e.g., force-time curves in jumps), this often causes problems for pupils. (2) In physical education, physical education teachers often have to deal with very heterogeneous learning groups that usually have physical education only once a week (physical activity time < 75min). As a result, pupils often have great difficulty in acquiring new sports skills. (3) In addition, physical education teachers often cannot demonstrate all the sports skills that are relevant to physical education classes and thus give pupils an idea of exactly what the sports skill to be learned looks like. Given these challenges, the goal of this project is to develop digital solutions that (1) help to visualize mechanical quantities and make them tangible and (2) support motor learning processes in physical education in high school.

Duration

• 2021 - 2023

Partners

• Dr. Tobias Wunsch (ZLB)

Funding

• Ministerium für Wissenschaft, Forschung und Kunst Baden-Württemberg

The collaborative project “3D Human Movement Studies” seeks to combine scientific and teaching experience in the field of human movement analysis in a joint teaching concept. The project brings together four different Master's programs in movement analysis offered at the Universities of Basel, Freiburg and KIT. By combining the different methodological and content-related emphases, the aim is to enhance the quality of teaching in sports science and biomedical engineering. An elective joint teaching course between the working groups as well as an exchange on a PhD student level and student level will be established. The project is led by the University of Freiburg and is carried out in cooperation with the University of Basel and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

Duration

• 2023 - 2024

Partners

• University of Freiburg (Prof. Gehring, Prof. Granacher)
• University of Basel (Prof. Mündermann, Prof. Faude)

Funding

• EUCOR