University Duisburg-Essen

The University of Duisburg-Essen (UDE) is participating in the research project with two chairs, the Chair of Mechatronics (UDE-IMECH) and the Chair of General Psychology: Cognition (UDE-APK). 

The added value of the collaboration between the Chairs of Mechatronics and General Psychology "Cognition" at the UDE has already been demonstrated in various projects in the field of human-machine interaction. The use of new technologies (e.g. driver assistance systems, smartphones, video games) has been addressed in various research projects of the Chair of General Psychology: Cognition in the past. Here, a specific focus was on aspects such as cognitive functions.

Chair of Mechatronics

The Chair of Mechatronics (IMECH) has always been an active driver in the field of automation and robotics and has no longer been exclusively located in the technical field for several years due to the integration of the Human Factors department with the employment of psychologists. The combination of the two strands enables the Chair to take an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach to the topics. Added to this is the expertise in the field of artificial intelligence at the chair, which has already been used in numerous projects in the past, e.g. in projects on the prediction of unknown states in mobile applications using machine learning algorithms, the prediction of wear mechanisms using artificial intelligence and the detection of rope cracks in a rope robot using machine learning methods.

In the field of human-machine interaction, the chair can look back on numerous successfully completed and ongoing projects (e.g. Alfasy, Designstudio NRW, Strali, Cobotank). The projects on automated driving, driver assistance systems, but also interaction with robots, smartphone use or AI applications have focussed on mental stress (e.g. stress), cognitive functions, individual attributes (e.g. age) and task performance (e.g. driving performance). In addition, (neuro)physiological measurements have already been used in the past to supplement the analysis.
Since 2019, the Chair of Mechatronics has been actively involved in the development of automated inland waterway vessels. In the overall context of the ‘Automated inland navigation’ research area, current research activities are aimed at researching and demonstrating automated driving in inland navigation. UDE is actively involved in shaping this research area and is already successfully working on various projects for the automation (AutoBin) and remote control (FernBin) of inland waterway vessels.

In the context of the IHATEC-funded Cobotank project, collaborative and automated robotic systems are being developed and tested to support the loading process of tankers. The collaboration with ma-co came about in the course of the project work and the networking of the IHATEC-funded projects. This co-operation is to be further intensified and expanded as part of the present project.

The Chair of ABWL and Mobility is concerned with the change towards environmentally friendly drive technologies and intermodal mobility concepts. The contemporary orientation of the chair is therefore not limited to the automotive industry, but also focusses on the interaction of different forms of mobility. The Chair's research focuses on open innovation processes, climate change and climate-neutral mobility, business model development, technology acceptance and testing.