CO-HUMANICS: Co-presence between humans and Interactive Companions for seniors

Focus topic: Life Science Technologies
Type of funding: Project funding programmes
Programme: CZS Breakthroughs
Funded institution:
  • Technische Universität Ilmenau

Two different assistance systems are being researched: Avatars and assistance robots. The aim is to enable seniors to communicate with remote relatives in their own homes as if they were there.

Goals

Loneliness due to physical distance and limited mobility is a major challenge for older people. The aim of this research project is to enable seniors to communicate and interact with distant relatives or friends in their homes as if they were present (co-presence). For this purpose, two different support systems are investigated: Avatars and assistance robots. How to improve the user experience and co-presence of augmented reality (AR) and robotics solutions? How can the environment, but also the pose, speech and facial expressions of interlocutors be captured in such a way that interaction can be generated as naturally as possible? These and similar questions will be analyzed in the research project.

Involved persons:

Lukas Findeisen

Program Manager

Phone: +49 (0)711 - 162213 - 20

E-mail: lukas.findeisen@carl-zeiss-stiftung.de

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Alexander Raake

Technische Universität Ilmenau

Detailed information:

Focus topic: Life Science Technologies
Programme: CZS Breakthroughs
Type of funding: Project funding programmes
Target group: Professors
Funding budget: 4.497.000 €
Period of time: Juni 2021 - Mai 2026

Funded institution:

Technische Universität Ilmenau
Technische Universität Ilmenau