Founded research cluster MiT - Menschenzentrierte interaktive Technologien

We are happy to announce the start of our research cluster ‘MiT’ (german Menschenzentrierte interaktive Technologien) Human-Centered Interactive Technologies at University of Applied Sciences Schmalkalden.

People desire well-being, physical and mental health, satisfaction in all areas of life such as work, free and relaying time. To achieve this, they need a wide range of resources. From a (work) psychological perspective, these can help to minimize stressors, such as time pressure, optimize demands, such as work complexity, and expand one’s own pool of resources (e. g., through job autonomy). This reduces daily stress (such as frustration, anger, boredom) and its medium- and long-term consequences (illnesses, absenteeism, intention to quit).

The goal of the research cluster MiT is to develop human-centered, interactive technologies as physical and virtual resources. They are to be used to support and improve human well-being in the long term. Through applied research, technologies are not to be developed as an end in themselves, but rather as a life-enriching resource, necessitating an interdisciplinary approach by the research focus.

Thus, the research focus MiT represents an interdisciplinary team of scientists with the goal of conducting human-centered technology research. Centerpiece are humans and their needs in the context of technological progress in the field of robotics and interactive media. With the help of novel, immersive interaction concepts, humans can derive benefits from these technologies that go beyond mere productivity considerations.

The first pilot projects of the research focus can be assigned to the application fields of automated micro mobiles and collaborative industrial robots.

Founding members:

Prof. Dr. Lenka Duranova

Prof. Dr. Frank Schrödel

Prof. Hartmut Seichter, PhD