Bionic arm to be developed under NZ-Germany collaboration

Bionic arm to be developed under NZ-Germany collaboration

Scientists from the University of Auckland’s Bioengineering Institute (ABI) are collaborating with the Fraunhofer Institute in Stuttgart, Germany to create human exoskeletons that will reduce workplace injury and assist stroke patients.

Scientists from the University of Auckland’s Bioengineering Institute (ABI) are collaborating with the Fraunhofer Institute in Stuttgart, Germany to create human exoskeletons that will reduce workplace injury and assist stroke patients.

The BIONIC JOINT is a project that will integrate the latest wearable sensor technology from the University of Auckland with mechanisms that enable movement provided by researchers at Franhofer IPA.

A Memorandum of Understanding on the project will be signed today at the University of Auckland’s city campus and representatives from Franhofer IPA. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is also visiting the University today.

The device will sense and assist movements of the arm and could be used to help lift heavy objects or perform repetitive tasks. In this way it could help to reduce the risk of injury for people doing a lot of manual lifting. Stroke sufferers who need assistance to move in a smooth and coordinated manner could also use the device and it would improve their motion patterns and help with rehabilitation.

The ABI has spun out two wearable sensor companies in the last two years, StretchSense and IMeasureU. Both start-ups have gone on to be winners at the NZ Innovators Awards in 2013 and 2014.

StretchSense makes “rubber bands with Bluetooth sensors” that accurately and comfortably measure human movement. IMeasureU designs and manufactures miniature inertial sensors for monitoring performance and reducing risk of injury.

BIONIC JOINT will integrate both these technologies to produce a unique wearable sensing device to measure and monitor arm movements.

Fraunhofer’s expertise in actuators and motors will help to put the exoskeleton in motion and drive its movements. With advanced high-tech research and large-scale manufacturing capabilities, Germany will continue to be a key research partner.

The project stemmed from an MBIE-funded visit to Fraunhofer IPA and the University of Stuttgart organised by Professors Xun Xu and Peter Xu from the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Engineering. In addition, Fraunhofer’s Professor Oliver Rohrle completed his postdoctoral research at the ABI and has been collaborating with his Kiwi counterparts.

New Zealand and Germany have a long-standing science and innovation relationship. In 2013, the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment funded a series of workshops between Auckland and Fraunhofer on the topics of robotics, mechatronics and biomedical engineering as part of the New Zealand-Germany Scientific and Technological Co-operation (STC) Agreement Programme.

Distinguished Professor Peter Hunter, along with Associate Professors Iain Anderson and Thor Besier, will manage the New Zealand end of the project.

“This is an extremely exciting project and the new agreement with Franhofer IPA really does put the University of Auckland at the centre of this pioneering technology,” Professor Hunter says.

“We believe the potential benefits of exoskeleton motion technology for people affected by strokes and other injuries that inhibit mobility will be substantial.”

ENDS

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