The provided overview of devices in this article and the classification developed is relevant for practitioners seeking assistive solutions for their clients as it makes the range of developed solutions both accessible and comprehensible.

Arm support systems provide support throughout daily tasks, training or in an industrial environment. During the last decades a large diversity of actuated arm support systems have been developed. To analyze the actuation principles in these systems, an overview of actuated arm support systems is provided. This overview visualizes the current trends on research and development of these support systems and distinguishes three categories. These categories depend mainly on the functional status of the user environment, which defines the specifications. Therefore, the actuated arm support systems are classified according to their user environment, namely: ambulatory, rehabilitation and industrial. Furthermore, three main actuation principles and three mechanical construction principles have been identified

Background:The service delivery process of dynamic arm support (DAS) is complex. Obtaining an optimal match between user and DAS depends on a variety of interrelated factors, different professionals are involved, and the market of available solutions is evolving.Objective: To determine how the service delivery process of DAS could be optimized. Methods:Interviews with DAS users that retrospectively focused on the experienced service delivery process D 'a focus group session to seven DAS consultants, and subsequently verified by a member-check. Results:Sixteen people who considered the Gowing (a DAS new on the market) as a solution and seven DAS consultants participated. Aspects that can be optimized in the current service delivery process included an improved cooperation between clients, professionals and consultants, increased knowledge of DAS in professionals, an embedded user evaluation, and timely delivery. Conclusions:It is recommended that the service delivery process is optimized by developing a DAS specific prescription framework. The issues identified in this study should be addressed in this framework. For this additional knowledge on how to optimally match persons and DAS is needed.

Background: Many wheelchair users experience disabilities in stabilising and positioning of the head. For these users, adequate head support is required. Although several types of head supports are available, further development of these systems is needed to improve functionality and quality of life, especially for the group of severely challenged users. For this group, user needs have not been clearly established. In this article, we provide an overview of the state-of-the-art in wheelchair mounted head supports and associated scientific evidence in order to identify requirements for the next generation of head support systems. Materials and methods: A scoping review was performed including scientific literature (PubMed/ Scopus), patents (Espacenet/Google Scholar) and commercial information. Types of head support and important system characteristics for future head support systems were proposed from consultations with wheelchair users (n ¼ 3), occupational therapists (n ¼ 3) and an expert panel. Results: Forty scientific papers, 90 patents and 80 descriptions of commercial devices were included in the scoping review. The identified head support systems were categorised per head support type. Only limited scientific clinical evidence with respect to the effectiveness of existing head support systems was found. From the user and expert consultations, a need was identified for personalised head support systems that intuitively combine changes in sitting and head position with continuous optimal support of the head to accommodate severely challenged users. Conclusions: This study presents the state-of-the-art in head support systems. Additionally, several important system characteristics are introduced that provide guidance for the development and improvement of head supports. ä IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONEspecially for the group of severely challenged wheelchair users, current head support systems require further development to improve their users' quality of life. The desired system characteristics which are discussed in this review are an important step in the definition of requirements for the next generation of head supports.

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