After more than three years of research, Kuka has tested a robot-based system for neuromuscular training. The automation expert emphasized psychosocial findings such as acceptance of technology and trust. The project is being carried out jointly with the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the German Sport University in Cologne.

How do people react to working directly with robots? What psychosocial aspects come into play during the interaction? Kuka has been involved in the RoSylerNT research project (interactive robotic training systems for physical and cognitive stimulation) for more than three years. While the Sports University under the direction of Prof. Dr. Kirsten Albracht focuses primarily on physical parameters when testing robot-based systems for neuromuscular training, Kuka is investigating psychosocial aspects such as technology acceptance, fear and trust. Nadine Bender, Senior Analyst Social Impacts of Robotics in Group Research at Kuka, says: "We are changing the world of work with our products, so we have to look at the effects of this change on people. We are aware of this social responsibility."

As part of the research project, various devices were developed as executable test systems to investigate their effects on the test subjects: a robotic leg press, an automated walking and running trainer - for patients who have suffered a stroke, for example - and a robot-based carrying aid that provides support when handling heavy objects. The latter was developed by Kuka and consists of a mobile autonomous platform and two LBR iiwa. The system has now been tested by 15 test subjects. Every day, the test subjects, aged between 18 and 49, answered questions and completed tasks with the HRC system. For example, they were asked to carry a table - sometimes with a human, sometimes with the robot. "When carrying with the robot, it was clear that the human was in control and the robot only did what it was supposed to do. This avoided communication difficulties," said one of the test subjects after his assignment. "Overall, the communication was clear."

In addition to sensors and a Roboception camera, the system is also equipped with a tablet that provides visual feedback. The test subjects have no robot-specific training. The system also contains maps of the surroundings to control navigation and a photo database. Thanks to the integrated face recognition, the robot greets its counterpart personally. All three systems, including the leg press and the walking trainer, are able to perceive the posture, movement and strain of people and thus adapt to them and the respective situation. In this way, the robots ensure that users and patients are not overloaded or even endangered.

Kuka is conducting basic research in a network with the Sport University in Cologne and the BMBF. Although there are already isolated studies on human-robot interaction, Kuka's experiments focus on the psychosocial aspects. These findings will then be transferred to other products. "Collaboration with robots is becoming increasingly important, especially in the care sector. But people and intelligent machines are also increasingly working together in close proximity in industry," emphasizes Nadine Bender. pb