BioMotion Center/ Naturwissenschaften des Sports

We focus on the control and biomechanics of movement, the effects of practice and assistive technologies, and methods for performance diagnostics. Across these areas, our goal is to understand how movement can be assessed, supported, and improved in everyday life, sport, prevention, and rehabilitation.

Our work addresses fundamental questions in motor control, including modularity, stability, and variability in human movement. In motor learning, we investigate how modular control changes with practice and how variable practice protocols can promote learning. Building on this foundation, we study human-technology interaction in applications such as running shoes, orthoses, and exoskeletons. We also develop approaches for predicting internal biomechanical states using wearables and machine learning, and apply performance diagnostics in high-performance sport.

Methodologically, we combine experimental and computational approaches from sport science, physiology, mechanics, control theory, machine learning, and robotics. This interdisciplinary perspective allows us to identify principles underlying human movement and translate them into practical applications. Our scientific work is complemented by practical experience in various sports.

At the Institute of Sports and Sports Science, we represent the natural and engineering sciences in sport, including motor control, biomechanics, sports informatics, and engineering. Our research is embedded in the broader structures of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology through our involvement in the KIT Centers “Information · Systems · Technologies” and “Health Technologies”.