Intends to examine the focus and aims that drive rehabilitation intervention and technology development. This book addresses the questions of what research is taking place to develop rehabilitation, applied technology and how we have been able to modify and measure responses in both healthy and clinical populations using these technologies.

The book provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in the field of gait and balance rehabilitation. It describes technologies and devices together with the requirements and factors to be considered during their application in clinical settings. The book covers physiological and pathophysiological basis of locomotion and posture control, describes integrated approaches for the treatment of neurological diseases and spinal cord injury, as well as important principles for designing appropriate clinical studies. It presents computer and robotic technologies currently used in rehabilitation, such as exoskeleton devices, functional electrical stimulation, virtual reality and many more, highlighting the main advantages and challenges both from the clinical and engineering perspective. Written in an easy-to-understand style, the book is intended for people with different background and expertise, including medical and engineering students, clinicians and physiotherapists, as well as technical developers of rehabilitation systems and their corresponding human-compute interfaces. It aims at fostering an increased awareness of available technologies for balance and gait rehabilitation, as well as a better communication and collaboration between their users and developers.

In recent years, there has been a blossoming use of advanced technologies across a wide range of applications in the general area of health care and clinical practice; one such genre is the use of virtual reality technologies for the rehabilitation and support of people with disabilities. This development has been driven by a combination of factors related to increasing clinical need, technological advancements, and developing communities of excellence in the virtual rehabilitation field. In this book, we demonstrate recent advances that have been made across the past two decades of technological development in the area of virtual rehabilitation. The editors highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary and holistic approach to developing virtual rehabilitation systems that meet the needs of patients, therapists and other care givers.

This revised, updated, and substantially expanded third edition provides an accessible, practical overview of major areas of research, technical development and clinical application in the field of neurorehabilitation movement therapy. The initial section provides the basic framework and a rationale for technology application in movement therapy by summarizing recent findings in neuroplasticity and motor learning. The following section provides a detailed overview of the movement physiology of various neurologic conditions, illustrating how this knowledge has been used to design various neurorehabilitation technologies. The third section then explains the principles of human-machine interaction for movement rehabilitation. The fourth section provides an overview of assessment technology and predictive modeling in neurorehabilitation. The fifth section provides a survey of technological approaches to neurorehabilitation, including spinal cord stimulation, functional electrical stimulation, virtual reality, wearable sensing, brain computer interfaces, mobile technologies, and telerehabilitation. The final two sections examine in greater detail the ongoing revolution in robotic therapy for upper extremity movement and walking, respectively. The promises and limitations of these technologies in neurorehabilitation are discussed, including an Epilogue which debates the impact and utility of robotics for neurorehabilitation. Throughout the book the chapters provide detailed practical information on state-of-the-art clinical applications of these devices following stroke, spinal cord injury, and other neurologic disorders and future developments in the field. The text is illustrated throughout with photographs and schematic diagrams which serve to clarify the information for the reader. Neurorehabilitation Technology, Third Edition is a valuable resource for neurologists, biomedical engineers, roboticists, rehabilitation specialists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and those training in these fields. Chapter “Spinal Cord Stimulation to Enable Leg Motor Control and Walking in People with Spinal Cord Injury is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.

One of the major application targets of service robots is to use them as assistive devices for rehabilitation. This book introduces some latest achievements in the field of rehabilitation robotics and assistive technology for people with disabilities and aged people. The book contains results from both theoretical and experimental works and reviews on some new advanced rehabilitation devices which has been recently transferred to the industry. Significant parts of the book are devoted to the assessment of new rehabilitation technologies, the evaluation of prototype devices with end-users, the safety of rehabilitation robots, and robot-assisted neurorehabilitation. The book is a representative selection of the latest trends in rehabilitation robotics and can be used as a reference for teaching on mechatronic devices for rehabilitation.

Individuals with disabilities, chronic conditions, and functional impairments need a range of services and supports to keep living independently. However, there often is not a strong link between medical care provided in the home and the necessary social services and supports for independent living. Home health agencies and others are rising to the challenges of meeting the needs and demands of these populations to stay at home by exploring alternative models of care and payment approaches, the best use of their workforces, and technologies that can enhance independent living. All of these challenges and opportunities lead to the consideration of how home health care fits into the future health care system overall. On September 30 and October 1, 2014, the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council convened a public workshop on the future of home health care. The workshop brought together a spectrum of public and private stakeholders and thought leaders to improve understanding of the current role of Medicare home health care in supporting aging in place and in helping high-risk, chronically ill, and disabled Americans receive health care in their communities. Through presentations and discussion, participants explored the evolving role of Medicare home health care in caring for Americans in the future, including how to integrate Medicare home health care into new models for the delivery of care and the future health care marketplace. The workshop also considered the key policy reforms and investments in workforces, technologies, and research needed to leverage the value of home health care to support older Americans, and research priorities that can help clarify the value of home health care. This summary captures important points raised by the individual speakers and workshop participants.

Soft Robotics in Rehabilitation explores the specific branch of robotics dealing with developing robots from compliant and flexible materials. Unlike robots built from rigid materials, soft robots behave the way in which living organs move and adapt to their surroundings and allow for increased flexibility and adaptability for the user. This book is a comprehensive reference discussing the application of soft robotics for rehabilitation of upper and lower extremities separated by various limbs. The book examines various techniques applied in soft robotics, including the development of soft actuators, rigid actuators with soft behavior, intrinsically soft actuators, and soft sensors. This book is perfect for graduate students, researchers, and professional engineers in robotics, control, mechanical, and electrical engineering who are interested in soft robotics, artificial intelligence, rehabilitation therapy, and medical and rehabilitation device design and manufacturing. Outlines the application of soft robotic techniques to design platforms that provide rehabilitation therapy for disabled persons to help improve their motor functions Discusses the application of soft robotics for rehabilitation of upper and lower extremities separated by various limbs Offers readers the ability to find soft robotics devices, methods, and results for any limb, and then compare the results with other options provided in the book