In the project "JuBot - Staying young with robots: Versatile assistance robotics for coping with everyday life", researchers are, on the one hand, developing a new generation of the well-known humanoid ARMAR robots based at KIT. These assistants are to take over everyday household tasks, such as fetching and bringing objects, setting and clearing the table, loading the dishwasher, and communicating on various channels with relatives of the persons they are caring for. On the other hand, the scientists want to research and develop dressable robots - also called exoskeletons - that not only support the personal mobility of elderly people, but also enable targeted training of their motor and cognitive abilities. (Source: https://www.kit.edu/kit/english/pi_2020_092_young-at-heart-with-assistance-robots.php)

In JuBot, the IPR is exploring flexible and stretchable multimodal sensors for sensing proximity and touch events that make the robot or an Exoskeleton aware of its near surroundings.  We use a capacitive sensing principle and investigate different sensor designs to achieve a fully customizable setup that supports the use of such sensors in different applications with minimal effort.