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topic Research

04.07.2011

Interfaces - Human-Machine Communication

Some computers are fun to work on; others less so. In future, robots will no longer work in separate areas in production facilities, but together with their human colleagues. This means that there is a considerable need for research and development to improve the interaction between humans and computers. The field of human-machine communication studies different ways of operating computers simply and creating functional and intelligent IT tools.

There are tools which can only be operated by experts. For years, computers were exclusively constructed for computer professionals. The success of computers with a graphical user interface and mouse has demonstrated that the use of computers can be made easier. The ideas behind this originate from the study of human-machine communication, also known as "User Interface Engineering" in the U.S.

However, development has progressed beyond the mouse and computer screen. Language, gestures and other forms of communication have already been tested for interactions with computers. Newly emerging applications and increasingly smaller systems require entirely new solutions for computer operation. Innovative solutions for the operation of technology will soon become a prerequisite for attracting customers for new systems.
Robotics and assistance systems

In industrial environments, there is a growing need for robots which can work together with humans. When robots move freely in production areas, they must be able to recognize humans and avoid hazards reliably. At the same time, robots have to interact more closely with humans in order to make more effective use of the different abilities of humans and machines.

The objective is to develop the interaction of humans and robots on a technical level in such a way that cooperation between them is possible both in industrial and in private environments. Germany is among the world leaders in the area of service robotics.

Virtual Worlds

Germany is currently among the world leaders when it comes to research into virtual and augmented reality. This includes the presentation of entirely artificial virtual worlds as well as the enhancement of real sensory impressions with additional computer-generated information. An example of augmented reality (AR) is driver information displayed on the windscreen in the driver's field of vision, which is already provided by some automotive manufacturers.

"Virtual worlds" is a research area that is increasingly interesting to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as sufficiently powerful hardware has become affordable. However, large companies also stand to benefit from the technology, for example for the extraordinarily complex process of laying cables in aircraft and vehicles, which can be supported by augmented reality technologies.

The results of BMBF research projects have led to 40 patents in recent years and have laid the foundations for numerous applications. The technological challenges were:

Marker-less tracking, in other words the tracking of real scenes in normal environments, and in particular the exact determination of positions and orientation in mixed worlds without special markers
Software development systems and in particular the AR-specific processing of complex situations and of existing dynamic and static data
The further development of data goggles and high-performance head-mounted displays which are both lightweight and robust
The user-friendly design of these technologies