Spotlight February: Women in Science
With VR Glasses and a Wheelchair to the Beach
How about a trip to the beach? For people without disabilities, it's usually just a matter of finding the time. But for those with limited mobility, it's far more complicated due to the lack of accessible pathways to the water. And it’s not just the real sea that poses a challenge — even virtual worlds can be difficult for people with disabilities to access. This is where the research of Kathrin Gerling, professor of human-machine interaction and accessibility and co-head of the Real-World Laboratory “Accessibility” at the Institute for Anthropomatics and Robotics (IAR) at KIT, comes in. A keen gamer herself, she wants to make virtual reality inclusive for people with disabilities, enabling experiences like a calming virtual trip to the beach.
It may be surprising, but virtual reality often isn't designed with accessibility in mind. “Hardware and game design rarely offer an immersive experience for everyone,” Gerling explains. Those who rely on wheelchairs or walking aids face obstacles – for instance, joysticks that tie up their hands. Her team is developing interactive systems that work with devices like gloves.
Gerling’s passion for this research stems from a simple truth: much of what’s designed for people with disabilities is purely functional. “But joy is just as important,” says the interaction expert, who in 2023 acquired one of the prestigious EU ERC Starting Grants for her research. “Immersing in barrier-free virtual worlds for sports, games, or leisure is a matter of justice.”
Spotlight January: 200 Years of KIT
No Smartphone Without Otto Lehmann
Solid, liquid, gas—every child learns these three states of matter in elementary school. But physicist Otto Lehmann discovered there could be a fourth state, something in between solid and liquid. January 13, 2025, marks the 170th anniversary of his birth.
Today, Otto Lehmann's pioneering research lives on in tablets and smartphones. As a professor of physics at the Technical University of Karlsruhe, he designed a groundbreaking microscope equipped with its own light source and a gas supply to heat the specimen stage. This innovative tool allowed him to closely observe the melting and crystallization behaviors of various chemical substances. Through these observations, he identified phases that exhibited properties of both liquids and crystals.
In 1904, Lehmann published his groundbreaking findings in his book Liquid Crystals. Although his work was initially mocked by his peers, scientific interest in liquid crystals resurged in the second half of the 20th century. By 1971, the first liquid crystal displays (LCDs) had been developed, cementing Lehmann's legacy in modern technology.