An Introduction To Rehabilitation Engineering

Answering the widespread demand for an introductory book on rehabilitation engineering (RE), Dr. Rory A. Cooper, a distinguished RE authority, and his esteemed colleagues present An Introduction to Rehabilitation Engineering. This resource introduces the fundamentals and applications of RE and assistive technologies (ATs). After providing a

The discipline of rehabilitation engineering draws on a wide range of specialist knowledge, from the biomedical sciences to materials technology. Rehabilitation Engineering Applied to Mobility and Manipulation provides broad background and motivational material to ease readers' introduction to the subject. The book begins with a wide-ranging yet concise introduction to the legislative, technological, testing, and design basis of rehabilitation engineering, followed by the fundamentals of design and materials and a full account of the biomechanics of rehabilitation. Major sections of the book are devoted to various aspects of mobility, including detailed discussion of wheelchair design. Valuable additional material deals with seating, prosthetic devices, robotics, and the often-neglected subject of recreational devices and vehicles. More than a thousand references to the research and review literature put readers in touch with the leading edge of a rapidly growing field.

Neural engineering is a discipline that uses engineering techniques to understand, repair, replace, enhance, or treat diseases of neural systems. Currently, no book other than this one covers this broad range of topics within motor rehabilitation technology. With a focus on cutting edge technology, it describes state-of-the-art methods within this field, from brain-computer interfaces to spinal and cortical plasticity. Touching on electrode design, signal processing, the neurophysiology of movement, robotics, and much more, this innovative volume collects the latest information for a wide range of readers working in biomedical engineering.

The most recent high-profile advocate for Americans with disabilities, actor Christopher Reeve, has highlighted for the public the economic and social costs of disability and the importance of rehabilitation. Enabling America is a major analysis of the field of rehabilitation science and engineering. The book explains how to achieve recognition for this evolving field of study, how to set priorities, and how to improve the organization and administration of the numerous federal research programs in this area. The committee introduces the "enabling-disability process" model, which enhances the concepts of disability and rehabilitation, and reviews what is known and what research priorities are emerging in the areas of: Pathology and impairment, including differences between children and adults. Functional limitationsâ€"in a person's ability to eat or walk, for example. Disability as the interaction between a person's pathologies, impairments, and functional limitations and the surrounding physical and social environments. This landmark volume will be of special interest to anyone involved in rehabilitation science and engineering: federal policymakers, rehabilitation practitioners and administrators, researchers, and advocates for persons with disabilities.

Innovations in paediatric rehabilitation engineering can serve as a springboard to education, psychosocial, social, physical and cognitive development for children and youth with disabilities. Instead of providing an overview of rehabilitation engineering, Paediatric Rehabilitation Engineering focuses on the uniqueness of the paediatric subspecialty via an international sampling of methods and techniques currently in use or in development. The book is divided into three complementary components. The first group of chapters is broadly concerned with connecting individuals to their environment and to the people around them. The second group revolves around paediatric technologies that compensate for compromised or missing function. The final group of chapters is about machines and environments which provide stimulating and interactive platforms for therapy and research. Topics include: Microswitch-based occupational, recreational and rehabilitation programs Emerging access technologies, like infrared thermal imaging and vocal cord vibration detection Communication technologies to enable children to communicate in a variety of everyday environments Accessible graphical user and Web-based interface design Postural and upper and lower extremity compensation, such as customized chairs and prostheses Global efforts in the area of robotics for autism research Virtual reality and other interfaces to mitigate motor, communication, and physical control difficulties Paedriatric rehabilitation engineering offers endless possibilities for future research with implications across the fields of physical and cognitive rehabilitation, medicine, computer science, and policy. It is the harmonizing of the expertise and energies of rehabilitation professionals such as teachers, families, paediatric rehabilitation engineers, and other stakeholders that will ensure that children are optimally supported as they embark on their journey from disability to possibility.

Prostheses, assistive systems, and rehabilitation systems are essential to increasing the quality of life for people with disabilities. Research and development over the last decade has resulted in enormous advances toward that goal-none more so than the development of intelligent systems and technologies. In the first truly comprehensive book addressing intelligent technologies for the disabled, top experts from around the world provide an overview of this dynamic, rapidly evolving field. They present state-of-the-art information on the latest, innovative technologies and their applications in various systems designed to better the lives of the disabled. From the underlying principles to the design, practical applications, and assessment of results, Intelligent Systems and Technologies in Rehabilitation Engineering offers broad, pragmatic coverage of the field. It incorporates the most recent advances in sensory and limb prostheses, myoelectric control systems, circulatory systems, assistive technologies, and applications of virtual reality. Rapid progress demands a concerted effort to keep up with the latest developments so they can begin to serve their purpose and improve the lives of the disabled. By incorporating details of the latest and most important advances into one volume, Intelligent Systems and Technologies in Rehabilitation Engineering makes that undertaking essentially effortless.

This book will provide an overview of the rehabilitation engineering field, including key concepts that are required to provide a solid foundation about the discipline. It willl present these concepts through a mix of basic and applied knowledge from rehabilitation engineering research and practice. It's written as an introductory text in order to provide access to the field by those without previous experience or background in the field.These concepts will include those related to engineering and health that are necessary to understand the application of rehabilitation engineering to support human function.

The purpose of this handbook is to bring together information on the special devices and associated systems which have been developed to assist the handicapped in living and vocational pursuits and in clinical use. This unique work places emphasis on the devices and systems plus includes sufficient background information to clarify the objectives and use. The general subject matter is divided into two major areas. The first area deals primarily with the environment of the handicapped. The second section deals with devices for personal assist systems-such as for testing, evaluation, and training-and devices which provide individualized support. The information in this comprehensive handbook will assist those working directly in the broad field of rehabilitation of the handicapped and also those associated with the subject matter in a peripheral way, including counseling and vocational evaluation.