Center for Digital Neurotechnologies wants to connect people and machines more closely

Computer-optimized surgical methods, the early detection of diseases by collecting health data or improved treatment methods in obstetrics: Scientists from Saar University, htw saar and the Centre for Mechatronics and Automation Technology (ZeMA) will be researching in the Centre for Digital Neurotechnologies Saar (CDNS) in the future how to improve the closer integration of humans and computers, especially in the field of medicine.

They will receive 2.7 million euros from Saarland and the EU as start-up funding for the next four years.

For many people, it sounds dissuasive when scientists talk about the fusion of man and machine. But what many contemporaries see as dystopian images of cyborgs à la ‘Terminator’ or world-dominant machines, as in ‘Matrix’, holds tremendous (positive) potential for people’s lives. A world-renowned manufacturer of smart watches, for example, is currently advertising that its watch can automatically make an emergency call with coordinates if it finds that its wearer has collapsed unconscious in the forest. Difficulties in data protection law are hidden here: If in doubt, the watch owner could survive such a medical emergency that he would not have survived ten or even five years ago.

The technology behind it must be able to do one thing above all else: She must recognize that the biomedical signals her carrier sends justify an emergency call. Has the pulse accelerated or the heart stopped? Is breathing irregular? Is the clock no longer, as usual when walking, at a height of one meter, but on the ground? All this data can be captured by a smart watch using sensors that measure pulse, breathing, position in space and acceleration. It can evaluate and interpret this data thanks to the algorithms that its programmers have taught it. If the measurement data exceeds certain thresholds, the emergency call is set off. What sounded like science fiction ten years ago has now arrived in our everyday lives. The sensor technology for such a smart watch is no longer a major challenge for developers.

It becomes more difficult when medical data comes into play, which is much more complicated to collect and interpret. In recent years, the Systems Neuroscience & Neurotechnology Unit (SNNU), which is part of the university's Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Engineering at htw saar, has been researching neurotechnological systems that can shed light on much more complex processes in the human body. A major research question of the SNNU is, for example, how machines can use this data securely and in accordance with data protection, in order to better understand people and to be able to respond to them better. “I am pleased that the Centre is now able to take these activities to a whole new level. With the start-up funding, methods of basic neurotechnological research and human-machine interaction can be consistently transferred to clinical medicine", explains Professor Daniel Strauss, who is in charge of the project.

"Through the high-resolution neuromuscular data collection, we will be able to better understand healing processes, for example after the use of a knee prosthesis, and in combination with artificial intelligence, we will be able to tailor rehabilitation concepts individually to the patient," continues Daniel Strauss. ‘Empathetic incubators should be able to understand the emotional state of newborns and respond to their needs, in addition to round-the-clock monitoring. Artificial intelligence in the OR is intended to optimally support the OR team in the context of attention assistance by means of multimodal information transmission – seeing, hearing, feeling", says Daniel Strauss. Furthermore, the value of neurotechnologically obtained data in the context of human-machine interaction for medicine, in particular preventive medicine, as well as proactive health care should be investigated. It would be a waste, for example, not to use the data that will be collected in the future in autonomous driving, for example, to operate the navigation system by voice command, also for medical purposes. In this way, information about one's mood can already be gained from the voice of the human being today. The car could therefore adjust to whether the passenger is relaxed, irritable or tired, for example. A car whose sensors use artificial intelligence to analyze the driver may also have learned over time whether a very specific passenger has a sensitive stomach. "If the car then knows that I suffer from motion sickness, it drives the corners a little slower and brakes a little smoother so that I don't feel bad," explains Professor Strauss. A car could see as another example whether a passenger's heartbeat has changed during a ride compared to previous rides, or whether he is sweating more, which may also indicate a medical problem. All this should be done contactless in the future, i.e. with the help of cameras and microphones, which are already installed in the cars as assistance systems.

“This fundamental link between sensors, people and data is something that even the big tech companies cannot implement quickly. With all the billions they have at their disposal, they can't buy one: Time", explains Daniel Strauss. This is because it takes a lot of time to collect and – usefully – link medical data, especially complex long-term data. This is good news for a research project that is quite large from a regional point of view, but very small compared to the tech giants. Here, cooperation in a small space of medical research, a university clinic and engineering know-how can be of greater importance than the sheer mass in the form of financial strength of the tech corporations. In the area of human-machine interaction relevant here, a wealth of knowledge has already been built up in Saarland, in particular through the Cluster of Excellence in Computer Science, in the field of artificial intelligence and data security.

Opening event at the Campus of the Faculty of Medicine in Homburg: v.l.n.r: Michael Menger (Dean of Med. Faculty) with Michael Zemlin (Director Children's Hospital, online), Manfred Schmitt (President UdS), Daniel Strauß (Director Systems Neuroscience & Neurotechnology Unit), Prime Minister Tobias Hans, Dieter Leonhard (President htw saar), Martina Lehser (Scientific Managing Director ZeMA)

Source: State Chancellery Saarland/AK

Human-centred digitalisation: Neuro-ergonomics and physio-ergonomics as the basis for new health concepts in the factory of the future

Source: State Chancellery Saarland/AK

Martina Lehser, Scientific Director at ZeMA: “As ZeMA, the CDNS aims to develop systems for neuroergonomic, i.e. ‘brain-friendly’ interaction between humans and machines and emphatic robots in the Industry 4.0 environment. The coupling between neuro- and physio-ergonomics occupies a high position, especially in highly digitized production. The extraction of data from machines and processes together with the psychophysiological data of humans enables the optimization of workplace concepts not only in production but also in the clinical working environment.

The topic ‘Health concepts for the factory of the future’, such as new concepts for rehabilitation support or occupational medicine, opens up an exciting and promising new field of research and application for ZeMA together with the new centre.”

 

President of the University Manfred Schmitt on the occasion of the opening: “The Centre for Digital Neurotechnologies, which has now been launched, brings together competences from many areas that have often existed independently of each other in Saarland for many years: Medicine, biotechnology, computer science and engineering have a long tradition at Saarland University, the University of Applied Sciences and the Center for Mechatronics and Automation Technology. In this respect, it is only logical that these institutions should now also be linked here, similar to the data to be linked in the research projects.”

 

Prime Minister Tobias Hans Emphasises: “We are witnessing a revolution in the most diverse areas of society due to the ever closer cooperation between man and machine. I am pleased that Saarland is at the forefront of research into this cooperation."

 

Dieter Leonhard, the President of htw saar, considers the newly established centre as follows: “Innovative neurotechnological topics such as brain-computer interfaces and empathic machines are, in my opinion, an essential topic for the future, which, however, can only be dealt with in an interdisciplinary way. By linking scientifically outstanding areas, we are further developing a structure with the center that can be expected to achieve a high scientific output and at the same time a high application potential. International visibility is already good, as shown by delegation visits from Silicon Valley, publications and conferences."

 

Uwe class, Vice President Advanced System Development and Global Director Advanced Human Interface Solutions at the industrial partner ZF, said at the opening: “For us as ZF, the Centre for Digital Neurotechnologies is an important, complementary pillar to artificial intelligence and cybersecurity in Saarland. It creates a unique link between informatics and life sciences, with great potential for automotive health."

 

The Centre for Digital Neurotechnologies will receive 40 percent from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and 60 percent from Saarland with a total of 2.7 million euros.ördert.