Ergonomics and medical engineering

Long-term physical health

This is the focus of our research into the topics of “effective relief during hard, physical labor” and “development and evaluation of body-worn products, such as orthoses, prosthetics and medical or industrial exoskeletons.” With our focus on “Sport Technologies,” we are optimizing training equipment, shoes and wheelchairs in the field of sport, from casual to elite sport, and with or without a physical disability.

Ergonomics and industrial exoskeletons: Germany is getting older, and so is its workforce. According to statistics, sick days caused by musculoskeletal disorders increase almost exponentially in old age. At the same time, there is a growing shortage of skilled workers. As the international competition heats up, no business wants to have to go without qualified professionals.

Based on our many years of experience, we can say that successful concepts for relief of strain will be accepted if they have understood the triggers that cause disorders and they suit the company and its culture. With our special ergonomics analysis, we search systematically for effective and accepted measures, taking account of the principles of biomechanics, ergonomics, sports- and training-sciences , as well as the requirements of your production process and staff.

Our solution concepts draw on all areas of the TOP principle (technical, organizational, personnel-related) and are independent of any single product. If exoskeletons come into consideration, we will support you during selection and testing, based on over 100 commercially available exosuits, passive or active exoskeletons.

Medical engineering: People want the ability to be productive, both at work and in their leisure time. Today, body-worn medical devices are often genuine high-tech developments. Products are becoming more advanced all the time through new technologies and materials. We conduct research into new innovations both for and with companies with the aim of giving people optimal support in their everyday lives or at work. Your developments and ours are validated using state-of-the-art methods and applying the highest standards with automatic, biomechanical or simulation-based testing methods.

Sports Technologies: Our focus in the Bayreuth team: By applying biomechanical analysis and a high level of expertise in medicine and biomechanics, we optimize running shoes, training equipment and movement sequences so that they reach their maximum level. All optimizations are always based on our many years of experience in the implementation of sensors in training equipment or on athletes.

With an interdisciplinary team from health science, sports science, simulation science and engineering, together with a highly specialized infrastructure, we understand the human musculoskeletal system and the support it needs, and translate this into new product innovations.

• How can we relieve strain in a targeted way on people who perform hard, physical labor? Which ergonomic solutions are the best in each case?
• How can exoskeletons help at work and in rehabilitation, and which of the many systems offers the best help in each case?
• What will treatment with orthopedic aids look like in the future? What processes make it possible to create prosthetics and orthoses with new materials, production processes or additional digital functions that give patients genuine added value?
• What measurement data is required for personalized product development and what measurement systems are used to collect it?
• What level of detail in human simulations is sufficient for personalized product development?
• How can we conduct efficient testing of personalized products in a batch size of one?