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Rehabilitation Robots for Neurorehabilitation in High, Low, and Middle Income Countries: Current Practice, Barriers, and Future Directions describes the state-of-art research of stroke rehabilitation using robot systems in selected High Income Countries (HICs) and Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs), along with potential solutions that enable these technologies to be available to clinicians worldwide, regardless of country and economic status. The book brings together engineers and clinicians, offers insights into healthcare disparities, and highlights potential solutions to facilitate the availability and accessibility of more robot systems to stroke survivors and their clinicians worldwide, regardless of country and economic status.In addition, the book provides examples on how robotic technology is used to bridge rehabilitation gaps in LMICs and describes potential strategies for increasing the expansion of robot-assisted stroke rehabilitation across more LMICs. - Provides a global picture of robot-assisted neurorehabilitation - Describes stroke healthcare in selected LMICs and selected HICs, along with disparity issues - Discusses potential barriers to the penetration of rehabilitation robots into LMICs - Presents concrete examples on how clinicians and engineers have begun to address healthcare gaps with rehabilitation robotics and how to deal with accessibility barriers

Medical and Healthcare Robotics: New Paradigms and Recent Advances provides an overview and exclusive insights into current trends, the most recent innovations, and concerns in medical robotics. The book covers the major areas of medical robotics, including rehabilitation devices, artificial organs, assistive technologies, service robotics, and robotic devices for surgery, exploration, diagnosis, therapy, and training. It highlights the limitations and the importance of robotics and artificial intelligence for medical and healthcare applications. The book is a timely and comprehensive reference guide for undergraduate-level students, graduate students, and researchers in the fields of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, mechatronics, control systems engineering, and biomedical engineering. It can be useful for master's programs, leading consultants, and industrial companies. The book can be of high interest for physicians and physiotherapists and all technical people in the medical and biomedical fields. - Covers the main areas of medical and healthcare robotics - Presents the most recent innovations and trends in medical and healthcare robotics - Contains chapters written by eminent researchers in the field

Optical Fiber Sensors for the Next Generation of Rehabilitation Robotics presents development concepts and applications of optical fiber sensors made of compliant materials in rehabilitation robotics. The book provides methods for the instrumentation of novel compliant devices. It presents the development, characterization and application of optical fiber sensors in robotics, ranging from conventional robots with rigid structures to novel wearable systems with soft structures, including smart textiles and intelligent structures for healthcare. Readers can look to this book for help in designing robotic structures for different applications, including problem-solving tactics in soft robotics. This book will be a great resource for mechanical, electrical and electronics engineers and photonics and optical sensing engineers. - Addresses optical fiber sensing solutions in wearable systems and soft robotics - Presents developments—from foundational, to novel and future applications—of optical fiber sensors in the next generation of robotic devices - Provides methods for the instrumentation of novel compliant devices

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.

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

Die Entwicklung Autonomer Systeme in der Pflege sollte als partizipative, soziotechnische Innovation betrachtet und vorangetrieben werden. Dabei sind die Komplexität von Pflegearrangements sowie die fundamentalen Werthaltungen der Pflege zu berücksichtigen. Dieser Band zieht aus pflegewissenschaftlicher Perspektive eine kritische Bilanz der gegenwärtigen Studienlage zum Einsatz neuer Technologien, insbesondere robotischer Assistenzsysteme im Bereich der pflegerischen Versorgung und der seit drei Jahrzehnten intensiv geführten internationalen Diskussion. Einbezogen werden berufs- und leistungsrechtliche Grundlagen der Pflege sowie bereits im Vorfeld der Techniknutzung zu berücksichtigende pflegeethische Bewertungsaspekte. Autonome Systeme in der Pflege sollten primär auf die Unterstützung der Kernprozesse des pflegerischen Handelns ausgerichtet sein. Die Substitution personeller Unterstützung durch den Einsatz Autonomer Systeme ist zu vermeiden. This volume critically takes stock of the current state of studies on the use of robotic assistance systems in the field of nursing care. It takes a nursing science perspective and incorporates the intensive international discussion that has been going on for three decades while being systematically based on a differentiated understanding of the nursing profession, specific characteristics of different target groups, and a corresponding complexity of interventions. Legal issues pertaining to the nursing profession and to the systematic provision of care are addressed as well as ethical aspects of nursing care assessment. It is recommended – among other things – that the development of autonomous systems in nursing be pursued as a process of participatory, socio-technical innovation that takes into account the complexity of nursing arrangements and the fundamental values of nursing. Autonomous systems in nursing should primarily be oriented towards supporting the core processes of nursing care: defining situations and making decisions. The substitution of personal care through the use of autonomous systems should be avoided.

This book addresses cutting-edge topics in robotics and related technologies for rehabilitation, covering basic concepts and providing the reader with the information they need to solve various practical problems. Intended as a reference guide to the application of robotics in rehabilitation, it covers e.g. musculoskeletal modelling, gait analysis, biomechanics, robotics modelling and simulation, sensors, wearable devices, and the Internet of Medical Things.

The work is a collection of contributions resulting from R&D efforts originated from scientific projects involving academia, technological partners, and end-user institutions. The aim is to provide a comprehensive overview of robotics technology applied to Healthcare, and discuss the anticipation of upcoming challenges.The intersection of Robotics and Medicine includes socially and economically relevant areas, such as rehabilitation, therapy, and healthcare. Innovative usages of current robotics technologies are being somewhat stranded by concerns related to social dynamics. The examples covered in this volume show some of the potential societal benefits robotics can bring and how the robots are being integrated in social environments.Despite the aforementioned concerns, a fantastic range of possibilities is being opened. The current trend in social robotics adds to technology challenges and requires R&D to think about Robotics as an horizontal discipline, intersectingsocial and exact sciences. For example, robots that can act as if they have credible personalities (not necessarily similar to humans) living in social scenarios, eventually helping people. Also, robots can move inside the human body to retrieve information that otherwise is difficult to obtain. The decision autonomy of these robots raises a broad range of subjects though the immediate advantages of its use are evident.The book presents examples of robotics technologies tested in healthcare environments or realistically close to being deployed in the field and discusses the challenges involved. Chapter 1 provides a comprehensive overview of Healthcare robotics and points to realistically expectable developments in the near future. Chapter 2 describes the challenges deploying a social robot in the Pediatrics ward of an Oncological hospital for simple edutainment activities. Chapter 3 focuses on Human-Robot Interaction techniques and their role in social robotics. Chapter 4 focuson R&D efforts behind an endoscopic capsule robot. Chapter 5 addresses experiments in rehabilitation with orthotics and walker robots. These examples have deep social and economic relations with the Healthcare field, and, at the same time, are representative of the R&D efforts the robotics community is developing.

Rehabilitation Robotics gives an introduction and overview of all areas of rehabilitation robotics, perfect for anyone new to the field. It also summarizes available robot technologies and their application to different pathologies for skilled researchers and clinicians. The editors have been involved in the development and application of robotic devices for neurorehabilitation for more than 15 years. This experience using several commercial devices for robotic rehabilitation has enabled them to develop the know-how and expertise necessary to guide those seeking comprehensive understanding of this topic. Each chapter is written by an expert in the respective field, pulling in perspectives from both engineers and clinicians to present a multi-disciplinary view. The book targets the implementation of efficient robot strategies to facilitate the re-acquisition of motor skills. This technology incorporates the outcomes of behavioral studies on motor learning and its neural correlates into the design, implementation and validation of robot agents that behave as'optimal'trainers, efficiently exploiting the structure and plasticity of the human sensorimotor systems. In this context, human-robot interaction plays a paramount role, at both the physical and cognitive level, toward achieving a symbiotic interaction where the human body and the robot can benefit from each other's dynamics. - Provides a comprehensive review of recent developments in the area of rehabilitation robotics - Includes information on both therapeutic and assistive robots - Focuses on the state-of-the-art and representative advancements in the design, control, analysis, implementation and validation of rehabilitation robotic systems

This book contains a comprehensive overview of all current uses of robots in rehabilitation. The underlying principles in each application are provided. This is followed by a critical review of the technology available, of the utilization protocols, and of user studies, outcomes, and clinical evidence, if existing. Ethical and social implications of robot use are also discussed. The reader will have an in depth view of rehabilitation robots, from principles to practice.

Robot-assisted healthcare offers benefits for repetitive, intensive and task specific training compared to traditional manual manipulation performed by physiotherapists. However, a majority of existing rehabilitation devices use rigid actuators such as electric motors or hydraulic cylinders which cannot guarantee the safety of patients; novel soft robots combining soft and compliant actuators with stiff skeletons offer a better alternative. This book focuses on the development of these soft robotics for rehabilitation purposes.

This revised, updated second edition provides an accessible, practical overview of major areas of technical development and clinical application in the field of neurorehabilitation movement therapy. The initial section provides a rationale for technology application in movement therapy by summarizing recent findings in neuroplasticity and motor learning. The following section then explains the state of the art in human-machine interaction requirements for clinical rehabilitation practice. Subsequent sections describe the ongoing revolution in robotic therapy for upper extremity movement and for walking, and then describe other emerging technologies including electrical stimulation, virtual reality, wearable sensors, and brain-computer interfaces. The promises and limitations of these technologies in neurorehabilitation are discussed. 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. The text is illustrated throughout with photographs and schematic diagrams which serve to clarify the information for the reader. Neurorehabilitation Technology, Second Edition is a valuable resource for neurologists, biomedical engineers, roboticists, rehabilitation specialists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and those training in these fields.

Cybernics plays a significant role in coping with an aging society using state-of-the-art technologies from engineering, clinical medicine and humanities. This new interdisciplinary field studies technologies that enhance, strengthen, and support physical and cognitive functions of human beings, based on the fusion of human, machine, and information systems. The design of a seamless interface for interaction between the interior and exterior of the human body is described in this book from diverse aspects such as the physical, neurophysiological, and cognitive levels. It is the first book to cover the many aspects of cybernics, allowing readers to understand the life support robotics technology for the elderly, including remote, in-home, hospital, institutional, community medical welfare, and vital-sensing systems. Serving as a valuable resource, this volume will interest not only graduate students, scientists, and engineers but also newcomers to the field of cybernics.

Neurorehabilitation Technology provides an accessible, practical overview of the all the major areas of development and application in the field. The initial chapters provide a clear, concise explanation of the rationale for robot use and the science behind the technology before proceeding to outline a theoretical framework for robotics in neurorehabilitative therapy. Subsequent chapters provide detailed practical information on state-of-the-art clinical applications of robotic devices, including robotics for locomotion; posture and balance and upper extremity recovery in stroke and spinal cord injury. Schematic diagrams, photographs and tables will be included to clarify the information for the reader. The book also discusses standard and safety issues and future perspectives.

A wearable robot is a mechatronic system that is designed around the shape and function of the human body, with segments and joints corresponding to those of the person it is externally coupled with. Teleoperation and power amplification were the first applications, but after recent technological advances the range of application fields has widened. Increasing recognition from the scientific community means that this technology is now employed in telemanipulation, man-amplification, neuromotor control research and rehabilitation, and to assist with impaired human motor control. Logical in structure and original in its global orientation, this volume gives a full overview of wearable robotics, providing the reader with a complete understanding of the key applications and technologies suitable for its development. The main topics are demonstrated through two detailed case studies; one on a lower limb active orthosis for a human leg, and one on a wearable robot that suppresses upper limb tremor. These examples highlight the difficulties and potentialities in this area of technology, illustrating how design decisions should be made based on these. As well as discussing the cognitive interaction between human and robot, this comprehensive text also covers: the mechanics of the wearable robot and it's biomechanical interaction with the user, including state-of-the-art technologies that enable sensory and motor interaction between human (biological) and wearable artificial (mechatronic) systems; the basis for bioinspiration and biomimetism, general rules for the development of biologically-inspired designs, and how these could serve recursively as biological models to explain biological systems; the study on the development of networks for wearable robotics. Wearable Robotics: Biomechatronic Exoskeletons will appeal to lecturers, senior undergraduate students, postgraduates and other researchers of medical, electrical and bio engineering who are interested in the area of assistive robotics. Active system developers in this sector of the engineering industry will also find it an informative and welcome resource.