European study of research and development in mobility technology for persons with disabilities

Abstract

In the fall of 2010, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Veteran's Administration jointly supported a review of mobility technology in Europe. A delegation of American Scientists traveled to Europe to visit a number of research centers and engaged in a demonstration and dialogue related to the global state-of-the-art for mobility impairment rectification and augmentation. From the observations and exchanges between the U.S. delegation and host institutions, the researchers were able to derive a series of papers which are now published in this thematic series of Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation. The papers describe the main themes of the European mobility technology research activities showing a healthy picture of research and innovation in the field.

Chronic multichannel neural recordings from soft regenerative microchannel electrodes during gait

“…Spike-based analysis can provide richer and more usable information than “cumulative” (global) signals as shown in 30 for peripheral nerves. Therefore, these signals could be used to control artificial limbs improving and extending what was already shown in amputees by off-line processing peripheral neural signals 31 . It could be also possible to gather information about the limb (e.g., gait phases) during specific tasks (in particular locomotion) to develop state-based control algorithms.…”

Tecnologías de información y comunicación para el turismo inclusivo

“…Es toda restricción, limitación, deficiencia de la capacidad física, visual, auditiva, sensorial, mental o intelectual que impide, a quien la padece, realizar una actividad normalmente y participar de manera plena y efectiva en la sociedad, en igualdad de condiciones y oportunidades con otras personas (García, 2015). Una discapacidad puede ser causada por trauma, enfermedades degenerativas o por la vejez (Caulfield, Conway & Micera, 2012).…”