RTG LokoAssist – Seamless integration of assistance systems for natural locomotion of humans

Leg prostheses, orthoses and exoskeletons become active movement assistance systems by individually and situation-specifically detecting their users’ movements and providing them with appropriate force/torque support. The research in our RTG LokoAssist funded by the German Science Foundation DFG aims at a “seamless” integration of assistive devices into the human body schema. This requires an automatic recognition of different movement intentions to create and intuitive and predictable motor behavior. Such assistance systems promise a significantly expanded range of motion with lower metabolic energy expenditure, better individual adaptability, and greater ease of movement. While this potential has so far not been fully tapped, the RTG addresses it with a highly interdisciplinary approach: the creation of innovative technologies, which continuously and actively involve potential users into the research and developmental process to achieve high quality interaction and a high level of user acceptance.