Daniela Wittmann

Daniela Wittmann is a Researcher at the German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), affiliated with the Design Research Lab. She works within the Connected Textiles research cluster, focusing on the intersection of textile engineering, smart materials, and therapeutic applications. Her work bridges academic research with practical implementations in healthcare technology.

Wittmann specializes in technical textiles and smart materials, with particular expertise in nanotechnology and electrospun nanofibers. Her research emphasizes creating socially and ecologically sustainable tools that support participation in digital society, with a focus on therapeutic applications for rehabilitation and health monitoring. She approaches design from individual lifeworlds and the needs of minoritized groups, extending beyond consumer majorities.

Her publications reveal a strong focus on wearable technology for therapeutic applications, particularly garments that transform physical therapy into engaging experiences. Both her major works from 2021 demonstrate how textile engineering can be leveraged for healthcare innovation, combining sensor integration with user-centered design principles to create medical devices that improve patient compliance and autonomy.

As part of her research activities, Wittmann collaborates with interdisciplinary teams across institutions including Berlin University of the Arts and the Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society. She has contributed to projects such as the Smart Maintenance Jacket and therapeutic wearables that integrate gaming elements to motivate children and teens during gait therapy.

Her educational background in Clothing Technology and Textile Engineering from the University of Applied Science in Berlin provides the foundation for her work in developing functional textiles with embedded technological capabilities. Her career path shows progression from a 5-month internship developing the Smart Maintenance Jacket to becoming a student assistant and then researcher within the Connected Textiles cluster.