Simulation through Games
Every year, the Department of Computational Science, in conjunction with partners from the universities of Stuttgart and Erlangen, offers a course combining physical simulations and games. In 2016, for example, the objective was to develop an earthquake simulator for Android-based smartphones which would simulate and display in real time the effect of pulses measured on a gyrometer, in other words a virtual earthquake, on the stability of buildings. The success of the project depended, of course, on the effective combination of simulation and visual representation techniques, efficient algorithms and, not least, bags of creativity.
Above you can see the effect of an earthquake on a structure similar to the Eiffel Tower.
Quality of Life
In this course we developed three intelligent textiles. KneeHapp is an intelligent bandage to aid rehabilitation following rupture of the cruciate ligament. KneeHapp uses movement sensors to evaluate the patient’s performance in various rehabilitation exercises. BucketFit is a chair for paraplegic skiers. Paraplegics have no feeling in their legs, so they don’t know whether they are sitting correctly in their seat. Sitting in the wrong position can result in skin lesions. BucketFit is equipped with a grid of pressure sensors which are used to determine whether there is too much pressure on certain points. VI Gloves is a glove for the blind that gives its wearer directions by means of vibrations. The ski instructor gives directions through buttons built into his or her ski poles.
We devised this project in close cooperation with orthopaedic surgeons who operate on cruciate ligament ruptures on a daily basis, and ski instructors for people with visual, cognitive or motor impairments.
Extreme Coding Camp
In the Extreme Coding Camp, Prof. Seidl and Prof. Wagner offer newcomers to computer science and related degree subjects the opportunity to immerse themselves in a programming project for a fortnight. Subjects to date have ranged from Eclipse Plugin for Ocaml to the web platform for computer-aided learning. The tutors like to present the students with new challenges, such as new programming techniques or unusual programming languages or systems. The programming sessions are interspersed with mini project management workshops, and culminate in the concluding demo event.
