TUM and Pfennigparade Join Forces to Develop AI-Driven Assistive Technologies for Disabled Individuals

TUM and Pfennigparade Join Forces to Develop AI-Driven Assistive Technologies for Disabled Individuals

(IN BRIEF) The Technical University of Munich (TUM) has partnered with the Pfennigparade Foundation to develop robotics and AI technologies that will improve the daily lives of people with physical impairments. Over the next three years, TUM researchers will collaborate with individuals supported by Pfennigparade to create assistive solutions, such as wheelchair control systems using muscle signals. The project, approved by TUM’s Ethics Committee, aims to empower disabled individuals by restoring lost abilities and promoting greater independence. Participants are eager to contribute, with the project building on Pfennigparade’s 70-year mission of supporting self-determination for people with disabilities.

(PRESS RELEASE) MUNICH, 17-Oct-2024 — /EuropaWire/ — The Technical University of Munich (TUM) has initiated a collaboration with the Pfennigparade Foundation to explore how robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance the quality of life for people with physical impairments. Over the next three years, researchers from TUM will work alongside individuals supported by the Pfennigparade Foundation to develop innovative technologies aimed at easing everyday challenges for those with disabilities. The Pfennigparade Foundation, a long-standing organization committed to empowering people with disabilities, is providing the research team with workspace for this project.

Dennis Bruder, a paraplegic and digital marketing lead at Pfennigparade, is one of the participants. With limited movement in his arms and legs, Bruder expresses hope that the project will one day enable him to regain control over parts of his body that he currently struggles to move. TUM’s Ethics Committee has already approved the research, which is spearheaded by Dr. Melissa Zavaglia from the Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI). The project will involve working closely with disabled individuals, a task that Zavaglia notes comes with both significant challenges and responsibilities. Professor Sami Haddadin, Executive Director of MIRMI, emphasized the importance of this partnership in developing solutions that could help people regain lost abilities.

The Pfennigparade Foundation, which has been promoting inclusivity and self-determination for people with disabilities for over 70 years, is enthusiastic about this initiative. According to Robert Hofer, Managing Director of Outpatient Services at Pfennigparade, many individuals in their care are eager to contribute to the research. Hofer highlights that those with physical limitations are deeply motivated by the potential of new technologies to improve their lives and are excited to play a part in advancing solutions that could benefit others in the future.

The initial phase of the project will involve studying muscle activity in volunteers with spinal cord injuries, using advanced electromyography techniques. The research team aims to detect movement-related signals from paralyzed muscles and assess whether these signals could be utilized to control assistive devices like wheelchairs. The results of this study will provide valuable insights into the potential of robotics and AI to restore functional independence for people with disabilities.

Authored by the Technical University of Munich, this collaboration represents a significant step toward using cutting-edge technology to empower those living with physical impairments, with the ultimate goal of fostering greater independence and improved quality of life.

Media Contact:

Corporate Communications Center
Andreas Schmitz
presse@tum.de

Contacts to this article:
Dr. Melissa Zavaglia
Technical University of Munich
Munich Institute of Robotics and Machine Intelligence (MIRMI)
melissa.zavaglia@tum.de

SOURCE: Technical University of Munich