A robotic platform for customized and interactive rehabilitation of persons with disabilities

In this work, we have developed a multisensor system for rehabilitation and interaction with persons with motor and cognitive disabilities. The system enables them to perform different therapies using multiple modes of interaction (head and body pose, hand gestures, voice, touch and gaze) depending on the type and degree of disability. Through a training process, the system can be customized enabling the definition of patients’ own gestures for each sensor. The system is integrated with a range of applications for rehabilitation. Examples of these applications are puzzle solving, mazes and text writing using predictive text tools. The system also provides a flexible and modular framework for the development of new applications oriented towards novel rehabilitation therapies. The proposed system has been integrated in a mobile robotic platform and uses low-cost sensors allowing to perform non-intrusive rehabilitation therapies at home. Videos showing the proposed system and users interacting in different ways (multimodal) are available on our project website www.rovit.ua.es/patente/.This work has been funded by the Spanish Government TIN2016-76515-R grant for the COMBAHO project, supported with Feder funds. This work has also been supported by a Spanish national grant for PhD studies FPU15/04516

How a Diverse Research Ecosystem Has Generated New Rehabilitation Technologies: Review of NIDILRR’s Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers

Over 50 million United States citizens (1 in 6 people in the US) have a developmental, acquired, or degenerative disability. The average US citizen can expect to live 20% of his or her life with a disability. Rehabilitation technologies play a major role in improving the quality of life for people with a disability, yet widespread and highly challenging needs remain. Within the US, a major effort aimed at the creation and evaluation of rehabilitation technology has been the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) sponsored by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research. As envisioned at their conception by a panel of the National Academy of Science in 1970, these centers were intended to take a “total approach to rehabilitation”, combining medicine, engineering, and related science, to improve the quality of life of individuals with a disability. Here, we review the scope, achievements, and ongoing projects of an unbiased sample of 19 currently active or recently terminated RERCs. Specifically, for each center, we briefly explain the needs it targets, summarize key historical advances, identify emerging innovations, and consider future directions. Our assessment from this review is that the RERC program indeed involves a multidisciplinary approach, with 36 professional fields involved, although 70% of research and development staff are in engineering fields, 23% in clinical fields, and only 7% in basic science fields; significantly, 11% of the professional staff have a disability related to their research. We observe that the RERC program has substantially diversified the scope of its work since the 1970’s, addressing more types of disabilities using more technologies, and, in particular, often now focusing on information technologies. RERC work also now often views users as integrated into an interdependent society through technologies that both people with and without disabilities co-use (such as the internet, wireless communication, and architecture). In addition, RERC research has evolved to view users as able at improving outcomes through learning, exercise, and plasticity (rather than being static), which can be optimally timed. We provide examples of rehabilitation technology innovation produced by the RERCs that illustrate this increasingly diversifying scope and evolving perspective. We conclude by discussing growth opportunities and possible future directions of the RERC program

A proposed framework of an interactive semi-virtual environment for enhanced education of children with autism spectrum disorders

Education of people with special needs has recently been considered as a key element in the field of medical education. Recent development in the area of information and communication technologies may enable development of collaborative interactive environments which facilitate early stage education and provide specialists with robust tools indicating the person's autism spectrum disorder level. Towards the goal of establishing an enhanced learning environment for children with autism this paper attempts to provide a framework of a semi-controlled real-world environment used for the daily education of an autistic person according to the scenarios selected by the specialists. The proposed framework employs both real-world objects and virtual environments equipped with humanoids able to provide emotional feedback and to demonstrate empathy. Potential examples and usage scenarios for such environments are also described

Myoelectrically controlled robotic system that provide voluntary mechanical help for persons after stroke

Author name used in this publication: R. SongAuthor name used in this publication: K. Y. TongAuthor name used in this publication: X. L. HuRefereed conference paper2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperVersion of RecordPublishe

Novel robotic assistive technologies: choosing appropriate training for healthcare professionals

One of the key challenges for the training of healthcare professionals (HCPs) is to maintain a good understanding and knowledge of new assistive technologies (ATs) that are currently on the market [1]. Indeed, at present, available training on ATs is limited and does not meet the practice-related needs of HCPs. It is in this context that the ADAPT European project aims to develop a new AT training programme for healthcare professionals, which will also introduce them to the project’s new AT developments - a smart powered wheelchair and a virtual reality wheelchair-driving simulator. The program consists of six multimodal units; five delivered via e-learning and one through a blended method of e-learning and face-to-face sessions. The development of the content is guided by findings from an earlier literature review and an online survey of AT training needs for HCP’s, both undertaken by the ADAPT cross-national research team, comprised of UK and French experts. The level of technical difficulty increases with successive units in order to train all HCPs to use innovative ATs more widely in their practice. A Learning Management System enables the dissemination of the e-learning AT program. Preliminary results from participant unit-specific evaluations available at this stage are overall positive and encouraging

Electric Wheelchair Navigation Simulators: why, when, how?

International audienc

Synthesizing and restructuring the conversation around the use of robots in the education and therapy of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders

A conversation about the use of robots as tools in public schools’ special needs classrooms necessarily implicates a variety of disciplines. As such, this paper will draw upon: (1) academic literature from the fields of robotics, education, and psychology specifically devoted to the development of robots for use in the education of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, (2) academic literature from the fields of robotics, education, and psychology specifically devoted to testing the effectiveness of these robots, (3) legal writings concerning the education of differently abled individuals, specifically, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, (4) broad discussion of education technology, drawing from academic publications in the field of education as well as newspaper articles and blog posts, and (5) original interviews with clinicians, educators, and robotics industry professionals. This paper is organized into four parts. The first will trace the development of robots in the education of individuals with ASD within the academic sphere. The second will do the same within the realm of industry. Together, these sections will demonstrate the fact that disparate strands of research largely distinct from the clinical or educational fields have dictated the development of this robotic technology. A third section will briefly but necessarily explain that robots are viable in the public education system from a legal perspective. Finally, a fourth section will bring together expert voices from the clinical, educational, and industrial fields to explain how and why educational and clinical experts should lead the conversation about the use of educational robots in ASD therapy and education