ABSTRACT
This chapter briefly discusses traditional rehabilitation services and assistive technology services. Rehabilitation and assistive technology is a products of coordinated effort between physicians and engineers. The central goal is to help disable patients to be able in performing certain daily tasks, or from “impossible” to “I’m Possible”. With the application of robotic technologies and artificial intelligence (AI), the nature of these services has evolved at an accelerating pace. Technological advances, such as “Internet of Things”, 5G (with faster and multi-inputs and outputs capabilities), and machine learning/AI will continue to transform the way physicians think and practice rehabilitation medicine. The traditional way of defining activities of daily livings (ADLs) into basic (bADLs, dressing, grooming, or eating) and instrumental (IADLs, doing laundry and cooking) is no longer sufficient. A new category should be considered as technological (tADLs). Some of the highlights of the applications and limitations of current robotic technologies and AI in the field of rehabilitation are described. It is our responsibility to maintain the principle of people-centeredness in the application of AI and machine learning in assistive technology device (ATD) development, and to further improve or invent new ATD to meet the needs of people with disabilities.
