DFG provides funding for research into empatho-kinaesthetic sensory systems

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The German Research Foundation (DFG) has approved a new Collaborative Research Centre (CRC) at FAU. The aim of CRC 1483 is to create sensor technology and gather movement data for the human body.

Every movement made by a living organism is the result of countless processes inside the body and complicated interactions between these processes. We can observe these internal processes in the movements made by the head, torso and limbs and also the movements on the surface of the body, for example in our facial expressions or as slight twitching under the surface of the skin. The aim of the research team of CRC 1483 ‘Empatho-Kinaesthetic Sensory Systems’ (EmpkinS) led by Prof. Dr. Martin Vossiek from the Chair of High Frequency Engineering and Prof. Dr. Björn Eskofier from the Machine Learning and Data Analytics Lab is to connect these external levels of observation with internal conditions via bodily function models.

To do so, they will develop methods and technologies during the course of the next four years that will provide new fundamental knowledge about linking internal biomedical processes with information from external movements that can be recorded using sensors. The approach used by EmpkinS could enable several bodily (dys)functions to be recorded simultaneously using non-invasive sensor technology that will be widely and easily available in the future. Specifically, the use of empatho-kinaesthetic sensory systems focuses on medical issues in immunology, neurology and palliative medicine as well as psychological conditions such as depression and stress.

The CRC has received 11 million euros of funding for the next four years. In addition to FAU, Hamburg University of Technology, the University of Bayreuth and the Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits in Erlangen are also involved in the project.

Further information

Prof. Dr. Martin Vossiek
Chair of High Frequency Engineering
Phone: +49 9131 85-20773
martin.vossiek@fau.de
www.empkins.de