As part of the research project "Humanoid robots: Sustainable acceptance and use in the field of care and consumption", the humanoid robot 'Pepper' has been available to students and teachers in the Behavioral Science Research Laboratory at the HWG LU since December 2023. However, Pepper is only a small part of the equipment in the HWG LU's Behavioral Science Research Laboratory, which has been located in new premises on the 2nd floor of the new building (Building C, Rooms C2.107 to C2.117) since a few weeks after moving from Turmstraße. Yesterday, the Rhineland-Palatinate Minister of Science, Clemens Hoch, visited the HWG LU to gain an impression of the project and the further equipment of the Behavioral Science Research Laboratory.
With great interest and visible enthusiasm, Clemens Hoch was shown by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Raab, Prof. Dr. Esther Berkemer and the two doctoral students Celine Blettner and Marc Ritter what "Pepper" is used for at the university in research, education and transfer. Minister Hoch also tried out the age simulation suit "Age Man", the observation lab and eye tracking for himself. The acquisition of 'Pepper' is a good example of the state's HAW Direkt program and fits in very well with the university's profile. The interface between robotics with possible AI integration and social sciences is particularly exciting, said the Minister, who then also attended the kick-off event of the hackathon "Innovative business models for the digital future" at the university together with Mayor Jutta Steinruck, a joint event of the HWG LU start-up office, the City of Ludwigshafen, the Palatinate Chamber of Industry and Commerce and the R(h)eine Gründungssache initiative.
About 'Pepper' and the project "Humanoid Robots: Sustainable Acceptance and Use "
In mid-December 2023, students of the dual Bachelor's degree program "International Business Administration and Information Technology" (IBAIT) welcomed the humanoid robot Pepper to the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society (HWG LU) as part of the research seminar "Neuroeconomics, Customer Behavior and Information Technology" led by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Raab.
The acquisition of the humanoid robot was made possible by funding from the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Science from the HAW-direkt program for the research project "Humanoid Robots: Sustainable Acceptance and Use". The research project includes a study in cooperation with the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum Ludwigshafen on the use of humanoid robots in the cultural sector and in the field of inpatient care in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Esther Berkemer, Professor of Nursing Science at the Department of Social and Health Care.
The humanoid robot Pepper is a further component of the equipment of the Behavioral Science Research Laboratory of the HWG LU. Thanks to funding from the Carl Zeiss Foundation, the research laboratory has equipment and the corresponding software that enable biopsychological measurements and examinations such as EEG and EDA. The equipment also includes the latest eye-tracking systems, age simulation suits and bio- and neurofeedback. It also has two test rooms separated by a one-way mirror (observation laboratory), which are suitable for qualitative studies and training in conducting customer and employee interviews. The use of the Behavioral Science Research Laboratory is open to all employees of the university for education and research.
About the Behavioral Science Research Laboratory:
The Behavioral Science Research Laboratory at HWG Ludwigshafen offers researchers, students and teaching staff a comprehensive infrastructure for instrumental and experimental studies aimed at understanding and comprehending human behavior in various economic and social contexts. Equipped with modern technologies and through interdisciplinary collaboration, the laboratory promotes practical research and contributes to solving current social challenges. It also serves as a platform for the training and further education of students, scientists and teaching staff in order to impart sound knowledge of instrumental and experimental investigations in research and practice. The establishment of the research laboratory was made possible by funding from the Carl Zeiss Foundation and the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Science. The research laboratory is headed by Prof. Dr. Gerhard Raab and deputized by Vice President Prof. Dr. Edith Rüger-Muck.
Specialist contact:
Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society
Department of Marketing & Human Resource Management
Prof. Dr. Gerhard Raab
Professorship of Business Administration, in particular Marketing and Business Psychology
Head of the Behavioral Science Research Laboratory
Tel. 0621/5203-440
E-mail: gerhard.raab@ 8< SPAM protection, please remove >8 hwg-lu.de
