Rehabilitation
Engineering
Albert
M.
Cook
Faculty
of
Rehabilitation
Medicine
University
of
Alberta
Edmonton,
Alberta,
Canada
Rehabilitation
engineering
can
be
described
as
the
design,
development
and
application
of
engineering
methods
and
devices
to
the
amelioration
of
the
problems
faced
by
persons
with
disabilities.
Rehabilitation
engineering
has
been
applied
in
widely
diverse
areas
including
adventitious
neurological
conditions
(stroke,
traumatic
brain
injury,
spinal
cord
injury,
degenerative
diseases),
musculoskeletal
disabilities
(amputation,
peripheral
nerve
disease)
and
congenital
conditions
(e.g.,
cerebral
palsy,
intellectual
disabilities).
Typical
applications
include
those
that
address
mobility,
manipulation,
communication
and
sensing
(vision
and
hearing).
Rehabilitation
engineers
work
in
basic
research,
device
design
development
and
clinical
application
of
assistive
technologies.
Future
developments
in
assistive
technologies
and
the
successful
application
of
these
technologies
to
meet
the
needs
of
people
who
have
disabilities
will
be
driven
by
several
factors.
Rehabilitation
practice
is
changing
and
these
changes
will
impact
assistive
technology
application.
Technological
advances
are
occurring
quickly,
and
the
capability
of
technologies
to
meet
the
needs
of
persons
with
disabilities
is
growing
daily.
If
these
trends
in
rehabilitation
and
technology
are
to
be
exploited
to
the
fullest
in
the
development
and
application
of
assistive
technologies,
then
we
must
have
a
clear
understanding
of
the
underlying
principles
of
assistive
technology
application.
Three
key
factors
related
to
rehabilitation
practice
will
have
an
impact
on
the
future
development
and
application
of
assistive
technologies;
(1)
the
move
from
institutional
to
community-based
services,
(2)
the
change
from
a
medical
to
a
social
model
of
disability,
and
(3)
an
increasingly
active
role
for
the
consumer
of
assistive
technologies
in
selection
and
application
of
these
technologies.
In
the
context
of
these
changes
in
rehabilitation
practice,
the
infrastructure
for
future
accessibility
for
persons
with
disabilities
to
work,
school
and
community
will
be
based
on
the
following
elements:
(1)
an
expanded,
smarter
and
more
available
"real"
and
"virtual"
Internet,
(2)
Home
automation
systems
that
are
smarter
and
have
greater
interconnectivity,
(3)
universal
design
principles
that
applied
more
widely,
(4)
alternative
approaches
for
accessing
information
technologies,
and
(5)
special-purpose
assistive
technologies.
|