Biomechanical Enhancement and its Societal Embedding
Project Description
The ExoEnhance collaborative project is part of the BMFTR funding measure „INSIGHT II – Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Disruptive Innovations“ in the field of human enhancement. The goal of the research projects in this area is to conduct a forward-looking impact assessment that examines the potential social, economic, health-related, ethical, legal, and political implications of the various possibilities for human enhancement.
The collaborative project ExoEnhance investigates biomechanical enhancement—in particular exoskeletons and neuroprostheses—in terms of expected physiological effectiveness, subjective bodily experience, social integration, and ethical legitimacy. It develops evaluation frameworks, design recommendations, and ethical guidelines for body-worn assistive and enhancement technologies. Using future scenarios, as well as research in occupational physiology, neurotechnology, the social sciences, and ethics, the consortium assesses the opportunities and risks of these enhancement technologies in the context of work and health. Laboratory and field studies examine the biomechanical effects, efficacy, and acceptance factors of various exoskeletons. Qualitative analyses capture experiences of agency and embodiment. Sociological and philosophical subprojects examine body augmentation as a social phenomenon and develop normative criteria for autonomy and justice. Through participatory formats, practice-oriented guidelines for strategic technology design are developed.
The project consists of five interconnected work packages:
- Practical Evaluation of Market-Ready Exoskeletons in Laboratory and Workshop Settings, Taking into Account the Expected Diversity of Users in the Workplace of the Future
- Participatory Research on Neuroprosthetic Enhancement
- Evaluation of Future Scenarios for the Use of Exoskeletons in the Workplace
- Sociological Perspectives on Human-Technology-Environment Systems in the Context of Biomechanical and Neuroprosthetic Systems
- Stated Objectives: Normative Dimensions of Biomechanical Enhancements
Team Members & Cooperation partners
- Prof. Dr. Jan-Hendrik Heinrichs, Forschungszentrum Jülich
- Prof. Dr. Philipp Kellmeyer, University of Mannheim
- Vera Borrmann, University of Mannheim
- Luisa Gerstgrasser, University of Mannheim
- Prof. Dr. Sabine Maasen, University of Hamburg
- Dr. phil. Marc Strotmann, University of Hamburg
- Prof. Dr. Benjamin Steinhilber, University of Tübingen
- Prof. Dr. med. Urs Schneider, University of Stuttgart
- Dr.-Ing. Mark Tröster, University of Stuttgart
- Prof. Dr. med. Johanna Kubosch, Medical Center and Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg
