medical assistance systems
Research Apartment
The CITEC - Cognitive Interaction Technology research flat offers a good balance between the possibility of natural and free interaction and a controlled environment. It combines a smart house with ambient intelligence functions with a cognitive social robot with advanced manipulation capabilities to explore the full-time use of cognitive interaction technology to assist humans.
This laboratory opens up new research directions and allows us to address new research questions in the areas of human-machine, human-agent and human-robot interaction. In total, the flat consists of three rooms and covers an area of about 60 m². There is a large living-dining area with an open kitchen and a separate bathroom. There is also an additional multifunctional room where the robot is currently located. We have equipped this research environment with various sensors (e.g. motion sensors, a tactile floor or sensors for the opening state of the cupboards) and actuators (e.g. loudspeakers, lights and visual displays).
In total, more than 300 sensors and actuators enable the realisation of multimodal interactions with and within this intelligent environment. Via network-compatible Basler cameras and Rode NT55 cardio and omnidirectional microphones mounted on the ceiling of the flat, it is additionally possible to observe the entire interaction area. The flat has two permanent human-agent interaction zones: One in the entrance area and another in the kitchen. A simulation of the anthropomorphic robot head Flobi is used as a virtual interaction partner.
In the entrance area, Flobi greets visitors and provides general information, e.g. about himself, the flat or its current development. In the kitchen, Flobi assists visitors with cooking, for example, or helps to find the right place for kitchen utensils. It can also provide general information about itself and the flat and each agent can answer short questions or solve simple tasks in the Smart Home, e.g. switch on the light in the flat. In addition, the Floka robot is part of the home and can be used in two different configurations - with a sensor head or a social head - for different tasks in the home.
