Successful Research Journey: Dr. habil. Sabine Bauer Honored at International Conference in Tokyo

As part of the week-long trip, Dr. habil. Sabine Bauer, head of University Sports as well as the research groups “University Sports” and “VisSim,” and project researcher MSc Ivanna Kramer visited several campuses of the University of Tokyo, including the Kashiwa Campus of the Department of Human and Engineered Environmental Studies.

The exchanges with Japanese researchers focused on topics such as sensor-based environmental perception, real-world robotics powered by AI, and supportive robotic systems inspired by human motor control. A special highlight was the tour of the motion laboratory, where the researchers from Koblenz also presented their own projects—sparking great interest among their Japanese colleagues.

Further connections were made at the Hongo Campus of the Faculty of Engineering, with discussions ranging from soft robot motion control and biomechanical modeling to the simulation of swarm behavior and pedestrian dynamics.

The trip’s highlight was participation in the IEEE Advanced Machine Learning and Data Science Conference (AMLDS) in Tokyo, July 19–21, 2025, an international conference dedicated to machine learning, AI, and data-driven technologies. Dr. Bauer and MSc Kramer presented a total of three research contributions:

• In the poster session on Artificial Intelligence & Computer Vision Applications, Dr. Bauer presented her project “Rethinking Knee Kinematics: Are AI-Based Pose Estimation Models Really Up to the Task?” and MSc Kramer introduced her study “Can a Rollator Predict Your Posture? The Potential of Pose Estimation and Depth Image Analysis for Posture Assessment.”

• In the oral presentation track on Healthcare AI and Medical Imaging, Dr. Bauer presented “Unlocking the Future of Injury Prevention: AI-Powered Pose Estimation in Real-Time Linked with Biomechanical Simulation.”

The response to the contributions was overwhelmingly positive: Dr. Bauer received both the Best Poster Presentation Award and the Best Oral Presentation Award of the conference.

“Direct exchange with international colleagues opens up new perspectives and confirms the relevance and future potential of our work,” said Dr. Bauer.