Principles, Methods and Software Solutions

This section of the department Accident Prevention: Digitalisation - Technologies studies new technologies in the fields of accident prevention and product safety, the influence of technology on humans, and the way humans handle conventional and newer technologies. The unit works across multiple disciplines with industrial psychologists, scientists, technicians and engineers.

The focal points in the field of "new technologies" are:

• Calculating safety related reliability of complex and conventional control technologies
• Advising on the functional safety of controls on machines and plant equipment
• Devising test guidelines and cooperating in the relevant standardisation bodies
• Development of and support for the SISTEMA software application for safety-related machine controls
• Developing methods for technical safety assessments of new technologies in the area of product safety
• Researching and advising on new physical principles for person detection systems

The focal points in the field of "human-system interaction" and "technologies for virtual reality" are:

• Setup and operation of the SUTAVE laboratory for the use of virtual reality for OSH purposes
• Performance of studies in the SUTAVE laboratory and work on research projects
• Research and consultancy on human factors in safety technology, and on its usability
• Projects and consultancy concerning the ergonomic and informational design of machinery, installations and control rooms
• Involvement in work relating to the bypassing of protective devices
• Devising test guidelines and cooperating in the relevant standardisation bodies

The focal points in the field of "mechanical stresses upon the body" are:

• Research and consultancy in the area of mechanical stresses upon the body at human-machine interfaces, for example in relation to collaborative robots, elevating work platforms, trolleys on airliners
• Involvement in research work in the area of long-term stresses upon the body, such as stress upon the lumbar spine during shovelling tasks or service work performed by airline cabin crew
• Development of measurement apparatus for the recording of mechanical stresses upon the body, such as triaxial hand-force measurement systems, biofidelic measuring instruments for the recording of collision magnitudes at workplaces involving collaborative robots, decelerometers for goods-vehicle seat-belt sleds, algometers for the determining of pain thresholds

The focal points in the field of "PPE against falls from a height" are:

• Advising and investigating accidents in connection with PPE against falls from a height
• Research into safety-related issues associated with the use of PPE against falls from a height, for example stresses upon the body when it is caught by such PPE, strain upon components of PPE on edges when used horizontally
• Cooperating in researching rescue and recovery procedures using rope-supported techniques
• Researching and advising on the use of combined PPE