Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology

1
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive
Technology

• Richard L. Goldberg
• Dept. of Biomedical Engineering
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• and Duke University

2
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

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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)

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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

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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

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Civil rights legislation

• Granted civil protections to people with
  disabilities
• Cannot exclude individual from school, job, etc.
  because of their disability

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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

8
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)
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Research areas
Augmentative communication
Computer access
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Research areas
Ergonomics
Prosthetics and Orthotics
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Research areas
Recreation
transportation
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Research areas
Sensory aids (hearing, vision)
Seating and wheeled mobility
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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/
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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

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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!

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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

Battery recharging stand
Inside of bead
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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

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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

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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

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Jennys sound wall

• Five modular blocks
• Motorcycle handlebar
• Spinning flower
• Record / play
• Telephone
• Blank
• Commercial products were adapted so that she
  could access them

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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 doesnt 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

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Retractable steps

• Uses file drawer slides, springs, and pulleys
• When chair rotates, it changes the angle of the
  file drawer slides
• Simple, safe, inconspicuous

Turn to side, and steps extend
Face forward, and steps retract
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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

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AODieAcoustic 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!

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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

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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

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Any questions?

• Resources
• UNC web site http//www.bme.unc.edu/rlg/rehabDes
  ign
• Duke web site http//www.duke.edu/lnb/bme260
• NSF web site http//nsf-pad.bme.uconn.edu/