AugmentX lab to improve ergonomics of exoskeletons
The Flanders Make AugmentX research lab at VUB will open on Thursday. The scientists of BruBotics, the Brussels Human Robotics Research Center, will work with exoskeletons and other technologies that support physical labour. The team use a variety of high-tech devices to redefine ergonomics. Motion capture, force plates, load cells and many other sensors for measuring biometric data allow researchers to measure work and physical effort in new ways. AugmentX will use both mobile and high-precision static measurement infrastructure to support a range of research projects that require measurement of forces and/or motion. Various projects are already under way, with the goal of further integrating infrastructure and expanding existing capacities.
The movement of and forces on the human body as a result of physical labour, with or without an exoskeleton, can be projected onto 600 muscles via a biomechanical model. This allows scientists to estimate the strength and length of each muscle in the body.
The AugmentX team has developed software to pool data from a network of different sensors into a single synchronised data stream. The entire system is modular and integrable, making it interesting for a wide range of applications, and the lab will be available to partners from both research and industry.
The official opening takes place on Thursday 11 January from 14.30 to 18.00 at the AI Experience Centre and AugmentX lab, Pleinlaan 9 (floor -1), 1050 Elsene. If you would like to attend, please register. More information and the programme are available here.
Contact
Tom Turcksin: 0486 34 37 06, tom.turcksin@vub.be
