The laboratory of psychotherapy and neuroscience research conducts scientific studies based on the Research & Development (R&D) principle. The research questions are directly related to specific problems in medical and psychotherapeutic practice. Research results are used to develop methods and innovative tools to be fed back into clinical applications.
Research Cluster Depression
The Depression Research Cluster was established at the IAPNs Research Laboratory in 2022. In the five-year, externally funded program, several sub-studies will be conducted in two corresponding areas, the Psychotherapy Science Arm and the Neurobiology Arm.
Phase I
To date, a partial study on the diagnosis and classification of depression, as well as a second one on the current state of theoretical modeling and treatment dimensions of the three influential therapeutic methods (analytic/deep psychological, cognitive behavioristic, and systemic psychotherapy) have been largely completed. The aim of the literature study is to identify theoretical and methodological correspondences, discrepancies, and antinomies and to discuss cross-procedural approaches on this basis. The third sub-study serves to bring together the previous findings with the interest of identifying depression as a differentiated spectrum disorder for which novel, cross-procedural, neurobiologically informed treatment methods need to be developed in some areas.
Phase II
For the neurobiological research arm, we are preparing a study on the status of neurobiological hypothesis generation on the development and course of depression. In one sub-study, the focus is particularly on the epigenetic effects of environmental influences in the context of depressive disorders. A second sub-study will focus on the state of neuropeptide research in animal models and in humans with regard to the development and treatment of depressive disorders.
Phase III
Clinical development and testing of highly individualized treatment approaches for a selected disorder from the depression spectrum using hybrid, neurophysiologically supported therapy methods. In a second step, the development of AGI-supported digital devices for monitoring and interventional support of the disease and recovery process is planned. Phase III is carried out in cooperation with clinical institutions and psychotherapists in private practice. It will extend beyond the current five-year period.
Research Cluster Human Robots in Public Health
The Humanoid Robots project was started in 2021.
In a first section, the discussion on the evaluation of the use of HRs in general and in particular in the area of support, supply and care in the healthcare sector was received. It moves on very different levels. We are familiar with reports on studies, research projects, but also one-sided statements and comments. In addition, we have received expert opinions from competent experts from cooperating research institutions.
The subsequent evaluation of the IAPN came to the conclusion that, at any rate, supplementary and supporting activities of the robots are unproblematic and ethically justifiable. With increasing autonomy, ethical questions arise for the programs and algorithms, as in the case of autonomous cars, which still need to be clarified.
First of all, this relates to the labor force argument. Everywhere in Germany, especially in the field of nursing, there is a massive shortage of workers. Robots would therefore not replace them, but at least compensate for a massive shortage to some extent. With regard to the people to be cared for and looked after, skeptical voices can also be heard. However, there is predominantly acceptance, as has already been shown by active examples (Paro the seal, Nao the play robot, Pepper the communication robot). At this stage of the project, the different functions of HRs were analyzed and differentiated.
For this area of application, the academy has compiled a catalog of tasks, a kind of specification sheet, which lists the required services of such a robot from the perspective of possible customers, i.e. operators of the relevant facilities. This list is based on the activities of daily living that are considered standard in the care sector.
At the same time, the Academy has compiled information on all humanoid robots that have been developed and are being developed in recent years. This starts in the 2000s, especially in Japan and the USA, and continues with enormous progress up to the current present. In the meantime, such robots are also being developed in China, Hong Kong, India, and not least in Germany.
Great progress has been made in two respects.
On the one hand, with regard to the pragmatic performance of robots in terms of sensors, sensitivity, mobility, handling and dealing with things and people. This is currently being massively increased by the growing use of artificial intelligence.
On the other hand, with regard to their receptive and effective communicative abilities. The latest developments of communication of humans with machines by means of artificial intelligence, exemplified by ChatGPT, are impressive. Without a doubt, such communication can enable machines to understand and carry out differentiated tasks and instructions and, in turn, to communicate with humans in a reactive/active manner in an inquiring or also proactively prompting manner.
By way of example, we will name the models that we consider to be the most advanced. These are Ameca, Erica, Sophia, Atlas, Jia JiaApollo/Vakyrie, Jubot, Garmi, Apollo and Optimus.
Humanoid robots will not act as individual figures in an otherwise unchanged environment. This will also be possible, but it does not exploit the potentials that exist in interaction with a digitized environment. Thus, it is easy to imagine that routines will be programmed, that individual orders will be given via digital commands, that monitoring of successful work will occur automatically and will be additionally monitored at a control center, that possible error messages will be forwarded directly to an intervention center, and more. Equally appropriate is the embedding in a suitable structural milieu that can make optimal use of the HRs’ work.
In this context, the advantages compared to human workers were updated and compiled based on the current state of development. This seemed sensible and appropriate because the media debates predominantly accentuate the risks of using these robots and much less the advantages. These advantages of humanoid robots are:
- They can be set up for any known language and do not need to learn it first
- they are not subject to mood swings, are not bad-tempered, spiteful, inattentive, exhausted or ill
- In principle, they can work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, i.e. 168 hours a week, four times the work of a human worker.
- they do not need vacation and have no absenteeism due to sick leave, which combined averages about two out of every twelve months per year
- the “resilience” and endurance of HRs also brings economic benefits compared to human staff, depending on the cost of acquisition and operation.
- all their competencies and operability, their shape, design, feel, smell, and all their graces can be designed and modified according to need and desire, and according to milieu-specific and culture-specific acceptance
- they are not infectious and do not transmit diseases
In the meantime, there are first facilities that are using humanoid robots for care and communication on a trial basis. For the time being, we have limited ourselves to the relevant experiences in Germany and have also compiled a list of these avant-garde projects. The academy wants to get in contact with these institutions to evaluate their experiences and to supplement or modify the task catalogs, and then to carry out more targeted testing of the most advanced robots for their suitability.