Welcome to the BewegungsForscher - our citizen science project for joint innovation in the health sector!
We, the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau (RPTU) and the Leibniz Institute for Composite Materials (IVW), would like to develop everyday medical aids together with interested citizens.
Working together for sustainable healthcare - the goal
The BewegungsForscher project has set itself the goal of working with citizensto develop everyday medical aids such as orthoses and care aids that are tailored to individual needs. We want toactively involveusersin the development process, as they have valuable experience and specific knowledge in dealing with medical aids. In this way, we ensure that the products developed meet people's actual needs.
Participating citizensand experts, whom we refer to as co-researchers, have the opportunity to actively influence the development process with their ideas. A particular focus is on creating affordable everyday aids that can be customized using digital processes. We also pay attention to the reusability and sustainability of products, for example through the use of 3D printing technologies.
On this page, you can find out more about how you can take part in the project. Share your knowledge with us and become part of this exciting project!
Your advantages
You can share your knowledge and help to ensure that the development of orthopaedic aids and care aids is tailored to your needs. At the same time, you will gain insights into the scientific development process and get to know other users, experts and researchers.
Our next event
The "BewegungsForscher" citizen science project enters the next round! On January 21, 2025, committed citizens and scientists will meet again to work on the development of a knee lifting orthosis with variable stiffness.
This time, two exciting program items are on the agenda:
Introduction to fiber composites: Get to know the fascinating materials that play a key role in the development of our aid.
Institute tour: Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Leibniz Institute for Composite Materials and discover the technologies that make our research possible.
When: January 21, 2025, 17:00 - 19:00
Where: Leibniz Institute for Composite Materials, Erwin-Schrödinger-Str. 58, 67663 Kaiserslautern
Whether you are already part of the project or would like to join us - we look forward to your participation! Your ideas, your expertise and your experience are crucial to developing a tool that is optimally tailored to the needs of users.
Sign up today and become part of our project!Click here to register.
We look forward to seeing you and wish you a wonderful Advent season and a good start to the New Year!
You can register here: rptu.de/ueber-die-rptu/organisation/referate/rtin/transfer/odpfalz/citizenscience/anmeldung
Orthopaedic aids are special devices, products or appliances that are used to support, relieve or improve the function and structure of the musculoskeletal system. These aids are often used to treat or alleviate injuries, illnesses or problems. Examples of this are orthoses. These are custom-made aids that are worn on the body to provide support, stability or correction. They can be made of different materials such as plastic or metal and are often used for joints such as the knee, wrist or back.
In this project, we want to develop medical aids made of composite materials. Composite materials consist of at least two materials that are joined together in such a way that they cannot be separated by hand (e.g. carbon fiber). These materials make it possible to produce ideal orthoses and prostheses - an important aspect of healthcare.
Anyone can take part! There are no requirements for participation. The important thing is that you want to share your knowledge with scientists and actively contribute to innovative solutions. Regardless of whether you are affected yourself, a relative or supporter, whether you work in care or medicine or are simply interested in the topic - in any case, your knowledge and ideas are a welcome and important contribution to our project. The project is aimed at people aged 16 and over, particularly in Rhineland-Palatinate. Your participation is uncomplicated: register using the registration form on this page or simply send an e-mail to the project coordinators (see Contact).
Interested parties can join the project at any time and participate either in individual events and surveys or in all workshops from the beginning to the end of the project.
We look forward to your participation!
You can join the project at any time or just get involved in phases!
Citizens can already participate in the selection of the aid to be improved or developed.
They then have the opportunity to participate in the development process in workshops - from the creation of a specification sheet, solution development and design to the testing of a prototype. The project is based on the scientific development process. This begins with the public project kick-off in May 2024, after which the dates for joint workshops will be announced. You can find out exactly how the project is structured and how you can help shape the project here:
The project is divided into 5 steps.
Citizens can actively participate in the selection of the tools that are to be improved or developed. They then have the opportunity to participate in the development process in workshops - from the creation of a specification sheet to solution development and design through to the testing of a prototype. The project follows a scientific development approach and began with the public kick-off in May 2024. The dates for the joint workshops will be announced here. Here you can find out more about the exact structure of the project and how you can help shape it: The project is divided into five steps.
Citizens and researchers work together to decide which healthcare aids should be improved or newly developed. To this end, we are conducting an online survey in which all those affected can describe their specific everyday problems. The survey results help us to understand the needs and align the development process with existing requirements. In a workshop with citizens and researchers, the questions to be investigated in the project are then jointly determined on the basis of this information.
The further development process is accompanied by regular workshops in which citizens and researchers work together. The first step is to draw up a specification sheet. This summarizes the requirements that the product should meet. At the same time, we research the current state of the art.
Citizen scientists and researchers then look for various solution ideas and evaluate them with regard to the requirements defined in the specifications. The best solution is selected.
The next step is the pre-development and construction of the previously selected solution idea for the aid. The citizen scientists and researchers work together to develop a solution that best meets the requirements in the specifications. We then investigate suitable manufacturing processes for the developed solution and create an initial prototype.
In product testing, we test the solution both mechanically on test benches at the research facility and, if necessary, with the citizen scientists themselves.
The "BewegungsForscher" project is part of the Open Digitization Alliance Palatinate
The Open Digitization Alliance Palatinate is a joint project of Kaiserslautern University of Applied Sciences, the University of Kaiserslautern-Landau and the direct partners Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics (ITWM) and the Leibniz Institute for Composite Materials Kaiserslautern (IVW). The project strengthens the transfer of ideas, knowledge and technology with industry and society and further develops the regional innovation system with a view to special aspects of digitalization. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as part of the federal-state initiative "Innovative University".
