Thomas Schauer

About

Thomas Schauer is a prominent researcher at the intersection of biomedical engineering, rehabilitation technology, and human motion analysis. His work spans two deeply complementary domains: inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based motion capture and hybrid robotic-neurostimulation systems for stroke rehabilitation. Schauer's most influential contribution, "IMU-Based Joint Angle Measurement for Gait Analysis" (2014), has accumulated an impressive 856 citations, establishing him as a leading authority in inertial sensor-based human motion analysis. His early work on exploiting kinematic constraints for joint axis and position estimation (2012, 132 citations) laid critical algorithmic groundwork for body-worn sensing systems that avoid rigid geometric assumptions about human anatomy. Equally significant is his sustained effort to restore motor function in stroke survivors through hybrid systems combining functional electrical stimulation (FES), EMG triggering, and passive exoskeletons. His leadership in the European RETRAINER project produced clinically evaluated upper-limb rehabilitation platforms, culminating in a randomized controlled trial published in 2021. Across these contributions, Schauer has advanced patient-cooperative control strategies, fatigue compensation in FES, and inertial-robotic motion tracking — translating engineering innovation directly into clinical rehabilitation tools that meaningfully support patient recovery.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   IMU-Based Joint Angle Measurement for Gait Analysis

   856 citations · 2014
2. 2
   Joint axis and position estimation from inertial measurement data by exploiting kinematic constraints

   132 citations · 2012
3. 3
   A Robotic System with EMG-Triggered Functional Eletrical Stimulation for Restoring Arm Functions in Stroke Survivors

   59 citations · 2021
4. 4
   A Hybrid Robotic System for Arm Training of Stroke Survivors: Concept and First Evaluation

   48 citations · 2019
5. 5
   The combined action of a passive exoskeleton and an EMG-controlled neuroprosthesis for upper limb stroke rehabilitation: First results of the RETRAINER project

   34 citations · 2017
6. 6
   Inertial-Robotic Motion Tracking in End-Effector-Based Rehabilitation Robots

   20 citations · 2020
7. 7
   Position and orientation control of an omni-directional mobile rehabilitation robot

   14 citations · 2012
8. 8
   Compensating the effects of FES-induced muscle fatigue by rehabilitation robotics during arm weight support

   10 citations · 2017
9. 9
   Hybrid Inertial-Robotic Motion Tracking for Posture Biofeedback in Upper Limb Rehabilitation

   9 citations · 2018
10. 10
    A new approach for a Patient-Cooperative Upper Limb FES Support based on Vector Fields

    5 citations · 2017

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links