Review
Recent trends in assistive technology for mobility
1 Department of Neurological Surgery, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1095 NW 14th Terrace, Miami, FL, 33136, USA
2 Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, 231 MAE-A Building, P.O. Box 116250, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
3 Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 3471 5th Ave, Suite 201, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
4 Rehabilitation Medicine Department, NIH Clinical Center, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA
5 Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Maryland, 100 Penn Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
6 National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering/NIH, 6707 Democracy Blvd, Bethesda, MD, 20892-5477, USA
7 Department of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, 4200 Engineering Gateway, Irvine, CA, 92697-3875, USA
8 Human Engineering Research Laboratories, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, 6425 Penn Avenue, Suite 400, Pittsburgh, PA, 15206, USA
Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation 2012, 9:20 doi:10.1186/1743-0003-9-20
Published: 20 April 2012Abstract
Loss of physical mobility makes maximal participation in desired activities more difficult and in the worst case fully prevents participation. This paper surveys recent work in assistive technology to improve mobility for persons with a disability, drawing on examples observed during a tour of academic and industrial research sites in Europe. The underlying theme of this recent work is a more seamless integration of the capabilities of the user and the assistive technology. This improved integration spans diverse technologies, including powered wheelchairs, prosthetic limbs, functional electrical stimulation, and wearable exoskeletons. Improved integration is being accomplished in three ways: 1) improving the assistive technology mechanics; 2) improving the user-technology physical interface; and 3) sharing of control between the user and the technology. We provide an overview of these improvements in user-technology integration and discuss whether such improvements have the potential to be transformative for people with mobility impairments.
