Rehabilitation engineering

Rehabilitation engineering is the systematic application of engineering sciences to design, develop, adapt, test, evaluate, apply, and distribute technological solutions to problems confronted by individuals with disabilities. These individuals may have experienced a spinal cord injury, brain trauma, or any other debilitating injury or disease (such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, West Nile, ALS, etc.). Functional areas addressed through rehabilitation engineering may include mobility, communications, hearing, vision, and cognition, and activities associated with employment, independent living, education, and integration into the community.[1] Improving web access is also a field of interest. Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America, the association and certifying organization of professionals within the field of Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology, defines the role of a Rehabilitation Engineer as well as the role of a Rehabilitation Technician, Assistive Technologist, and Rehabiltiation Technologist (not all the same) in the 2017 approved White Paper available online on their website.[2][3]

Qualifications

While some rehabilitation engineers have master's degrees in rehabilitation engineering, usually a subspecialty of Biomedical engineering, most rehabilitation engineers have undergraduate or graduate degrees in biomedical engineering, mechanical engineering, or electrical engineering. A Portuguese university provides an undergraduate degree and a master's degree in Rehabilitation Engineering and Accessibility.[4][5] Qualification to become a Rehab Engineer in the UK is possible via a University BSc Honours Degree course such as Health Design & Technology Institute, Coventry University.[6]

Professional registration of NHS Rehab' Engineers is with the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine.[7]

The Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), whose mission is to "improve the potential of people with disabilities to achieve their goals through the use of technology", is one of the main professional societies for rehabilitation engineers.[8] RESNA's annual conference is held in the Washington DC area in July.

Supportive devices

The rehabilitation process for people with disabilities often entails mechanical design of assistive devices such as Walking aids intended to promote inclusion of their users into the mainstream of society, commerce, and recreation. Device development can range from purely mechanical to mechatronics and software.

Within the National Health Service of the United Kingdom Rehabilitation Engineers are commonly involved with assessment and provision of wheelchairs and seating to promote good posture and independent mobility. This includes electrically powered wheelchairs, active user (lightweight) manual wheelchairs, and in more advanced clinics this may include assessments for specialist wheelchair control systems and/or bespoke seating solutions.

The A-SET Mind Controlled Wheelchair has been invented by Diwakar Vaish, the head of Robotics and Research at A-SET Training and Research Institutes, India. It is of great importance to patients suffering from locked-in syndrome, it uses neural signals to command the wheelchair. This is the world's first in production neurally controlled wheelchair.

Ongoing research

Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers conduct research in the rehabilitation engineering, each focusing on one general area or aspect of disability.[9] For example, the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute conducts research for the blind and visually impaired.[10] Many of the Veterans Administration Rehabilitation Research & Development Centers conduct rehabilitation engineering research.[11]

gollark: I suppose I could go for "make it slowly rotate by about one degree every minute" or "simulate dead pixels".
gollark: Doesn't even sound very funny or relevant to my site.
gollark: No.
gollark: I'll have to think of something. Or remember my previous ideas.
gollark: Oh great, I completely forgot to program an April fool's joke for my website this year...

See also

References
  1. "RehabEngineer: Assistive Technology Resources for People with Disabilities". Rehabengineer.homestead.com. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  2. "Rehabilitation Engineers, Technologists, and Technicians" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-04-29. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. "Position Papers, White Papers, and Provision Guides | Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America". www.resna.org. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  4. "first cycle of Rehabilitation Engineering and Accessibility (UTAD - Portugal)" (in Portuguese). Utad.pt. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  5. "second cycle of Rehabilitation Engineering and Accessibility (UTAD - Portugal)" (in Portuguese). Utad.pt. Retrieved 2019-04-29.
  6. "HDTI Rehab Engineering BSc".
  7. Archived January 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  8. "RESNA Home Page". Resna.org. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  9. "Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers". Ed.gov. 2012-06-13. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  10. "The Smith-Kettlewell Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center". Ski.org. Archived from the original on 2014-10-17. Retrieved 2012-07-31.
  11. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-07-19. Retrieved 2006-05-25.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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