ABSTRACT
North America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 1.10 The Future of Rehabilitation Engineering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 1.11 Study Questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Upon completion of this chapter, the reader will be able to:
Learn the basic principles of rehabilitation engineering Learn about the basic methods used in rehabilitation engineering design Understand the problems for which rehabilitation engineering and assistive
technology are used Gain knowledge about the research and development issues and opportunities
in this field
The future of rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology (AT) will depend on understanding and documenting the confluence of two critical factors represented by the paradigm of “functionality.” This confluence is of medical restoration and consumer participation. Historically, medicine has attempted to “fix” or intervene on the injury or disease plateau, and the consumer simply “carried on.” Now, the
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more strongly match the desired activity and participation of the consumer. Means of quantifying or qualifying participation are yet to be agreed upon, and so rehabilitation professionals are aspiring to harness their science toward this challenge.
