Brain Meets Technology

© Patrick Wörner

Launch event for the new Cluster of Excellence BrainLinks-BrainTools with Baden-Württemberg's Minister of Science and Research Theresia Bauer

Diseases of the nervous system can have grave and lifelong consequences. New forms of therapy that lean on neurotechnology and robotics are highly promising with this regard: researchers from the departments of Biology, Microsystems, Computer Science, and Medicine, all of whom are part of the Cluster of Excellence BrainLinks-BrainTools of Freiburg University, aim at combining technological elements with the complex nervous system. Rector Prof. Dr. h.c. Hans-Jochen Schiewer, Minister of Science, Research, and Arts in Baden-Württemberg, Dr. Harald von Kalm from the German Research Foundation (DFG), and Prof. Dr. Wolfram Burgard, speaker of the Cluster of Excellence, will open the launch event for BrainLinks-BrainTools on

Tuesday, 9. April 2013, at 2 pm in the Faculty of Engineering, Building 101, Georges-Köhler Allee 101, 79110 Freiburg.

The researchers in the Cluster are pursuing two goals: enabling paralyzed people to control artificial limbs or robotic assistants through the power of their thoughts and alleviating the symptoms of people suffering from neurological diseases like epilepsy or Parkinson's disease through implants in their brains. 

From 3 pm onwards the researchers will introduce projects within the Cluster at four stations. Amongst other things they will demonstrate how a robot arm is controlled through electroencephalography and how implants will in the future be functioning on self-generated energy. At 4:30 pm the scientific part of the two-day symposium will start with presentations by high-ranking researchers from Freiburg and abroad. 

Media representatives are warmly invited to attend the launch event as well as the subsequent tour.

Kind regards

Rudolf-Werner Dreier
Office of Public Affairs


The Cluster of Excellence BrainLinks-BrainTools
As part of the German Excellence Initiative the Cluster BrainLinks-BrainTools will be funded with around 30 million € by the German Research Foundation for a duration of five years. Freiburg University ultimately aims at continuing BrainLinks-BrainTools in order to build one of the largest neurotechnological research and training centers in Germany. Collaborations with research institutions in Germany and abroad make for a large network of all involved disciplines.

Programme


Contact:
Prof. Dr. Wolfram Burgard
Speaker of BrainLinks-BrainTools
Chair of Autonomous Intelligent Systems
Department of Computer Science
Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
Phone.: 0761/203-8026, -8006
E-Mail: burgard(at)informatik.uni-freiburg.de