Rehabilitation Engineering and
Assistive Technology
Richard L. Goldberg
Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
and Duke University
Outline
What is rehabilitation engineering?
Influence of disability rights movement
and federal legislation
Overview of rehabilitation engineering
research areas
Projects built by UNC and Duke
students
Conclusion
What is Rehabilitation
Engineering?
Rehabilitation Engineering and
Assistive Technology Society
of North America
Rehabilitation engineering
the application of science and technology to
improving the quality of life of people with
disabilities.
Assistive technology (AT):
products, devices or equipment … that are used
to maintain, increase or improve the functional
capabilities of individuals with disabilities (1998
Tech Act)
What do rehab engineers do?
Work in
research lab
clinic
industry (i.e. product development lab)
Work with
Clients and their families, teachers, employers
Health care providers (MD, OT, PT, SLP)
More clinical work than other engineering
fields
Engineers must learn how to work with people
with disabilities
Disability rights movement
In parallel with civil rights, centered at
Berkeley
In 1962, Ed Roberts admitted to Berkeley
In 1971, Center for Independent Living opened in
Berkeley
Before 1970s, people with disabilities were not
visible in our society
Since then, people with disabilities have been
able to integrate
This has helped to fuel the growth in
rehabilitation engineering
Civil rights legislation
Granted civil protections to people with disabilities
Cannot exclude individual from school, job, etc.
because of their disability
Education Legislation
Guarantees the right to a “free, appropriate public
education” for all children
Inclusion – children w/disabilities in regular classroom
OT, PT, SLP services must be provided in school
Assistive Technology
Legislation
Provided federal funds to states to develop programs
for training and delivery of AT
i.e. NC assistive technology project, Pennsylvania
Initiative on AT
Source: University of Buffalo Assistive Technology Training Online Project (ATTO)
Research areas
Augmentative Computer access
communication
Research areas
Ergonomics Prosthetics and Orthotics
Research areas
Recreation
transportation
Research areas
Seating and wheeled mobility Sensory aids (hearing, vision)
Research areas
Universal design
The design of products and environments to be
usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible,
without the need for adaptation or specialized
design.
Source: NCSU Center for Universal Design
http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud/
UNC and Duke projects
Project ideas proposed by health care
provider in the community
Students in Rehabilitation Engineering Design
class develop custom device in one semester
Device is delivered to client free of charge
Project development
Assess the abilities and limitations of the client
Propose a device that meets their needs
Ongoing interaction with client, family and
therapists
Safety is crucial
Pop beads for clients at
preschool
Public preschool for
children with a variety of
disabilities
Teachers use pop-beads
to promote better motor
control, arm strength,
eye-hand coordination
Problem: connecting pop-
beads gets boring!
Sensory stimulation pop beads
Beads light up, vibrate, and play
a song for 5-10 seconds when
connected or disconnected
This makes the task more fun
Inside of bead Battery recharging stand
Communication device for “Chris”
Chris was born with a genetic
condition that resulted in a variety
of physical and cognitive limitations
Uses a walker or crawls to move
around the classroom
Unable to speak intelligibly
Uses a simple communication
device
Cannot access switches on
commercial portable device
Portable comm. device
We developed a portable
device, built into a
denim vest
He could play back
message by pulling on
one of 4 key chains
Teacher or parent could
re-record these
messages
Sensory stimulation for “Jenny”
Jenny is a 3 year old girl with athetoid
cerebral palsy
She has poor arm and trunk strength
Her PT requested a device that used
sensory stimulation to encourage her
to reach forward and up
Commercial devices were not
appropriate
Jenny’s “sound wall”
Five modular blocks
Motorcycle handlebar
Spinning flower
Record / play
Telephone
Blank
Commercial products
were adapted so that
she could access
them
Work chair for “Emma”
Emma is an adult with autism who works at
Orange Enterprises
She is 3 ft. tall
She needs a chair that is at an appropriate
height for a 30” work surface
She needs to get in and out of her chair safely
She doesn’t have strength to “de-weight” a
standard office chair or “pump up” a
barbershop chair
It must be simple to use because she gets
upset when her routine is changed
Retractable steps
Uses file drawer slides,
springs, and pulleys
When chair rotates, it
changes the angle of the
file drawer slides
Simple, safe,
Face forward, Turn to side, and
and steps retract steps extend inconspicuous
Orientation device
Preschool age children who are
blind need to navigate around
the home and classroom
Young children do not have the
cognitive ability to use
ultrasonic cane or other
commercial devices
They need a simple device that
helps them to navigate
AODie:
Acoustic Orientation Device
5 beacons placed at different
“landmarks”
i.e. desk, bathroom, etc.
Child holds control box
Box has 5 raised buttons, each
with a different shape, that
correspond to 5 beacons
When a button is pressed:
The corresponding beacon “beeps”
The control box plays a prerecorded
message, i.e. “this is your desk”
Simple to use!
Conclusions
Rehabilitation engineering and assistive
technology can improve the quality of life for
people with disabilities
Students have designed, built, and delivered
a variety of custom assistive devices
Students have applied their engineering skills
to address a real need for an individual
Response has been very positive, although
there has been no formal evaluation of
success
Acknowledgements
Students in Rehabilitation Engineering Design
class at UNC and Duke
Teachers and therapists
Clients and their families who inspired the
projects
Larry Bohs and Kevin Caves at Duke
Funded by NSF grant BES-9981867 and UNC
Ueltschi Service Learning grant
Any questions?
Resources
UNC web site:
http://www.bme.unc.edu/~rlg/rehabDesign
Duke web site:
http://www.duke.edu/~lnb/bme260
NSF web site: http://nsf-pad.bme.uconn.edu/