TECH-TOYS: Acquire digiTal biomarkErs in InfanCy with sensorized TOYS for early detection and monitoring of neurodevelopmental disorders – Ethical Sub-Project

Funded by: DLR/BMBF within the framework of ERA PerMed
Funding Period: April 2023 – March 2026

Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Georg Marckmann
Team member: Dr. Stephanie Müller

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) constitute a group of conditions with onset in early infancy, carrying lifelong implications. Symptoms include sensorimotor, cognitive, and communicative impairments as well as learning and behavioral disorders. Examples of NDDs include cerebral palsy and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite advancements in research, a significant obstacle in addressing these disorders is the often-delayed diagnosis. Enter TECH-TOYS, a collaborative project involving researchers from Italy, France, Turkey, and Germany, with the objective of developing an early diagnostic tool for NDDs. This innovative tool integrates toys equipped with sensors and AI designed to identify motor and communicative irregularities. The accompanying ethical sub-project scrutinizes the ethical dimensions of TECH-TOY technology, formulating ethical guidelines for both research and the subsequent therapeutic application of the technology.