Improving assistive technology access to students with low vision and blindness in Delhi: A school-based model

Purpose: Assistive technology (AT) has recently received considerable attention around the world. Studies have shown poor access to assistive technology for visual impairment (ATVI) in schools for the blind in India. The present article aimed at designing a school?based model to improve AT access in schools and provide hands?on training, and identify types of ocular morbidities present among students. Methods: The vision rehabilitation (VR) team of a tertiary eye?care center visited schools for the blind as a part of community? based VR services. The team conducted a basic eye examination and assessed best?corrected vision acuity (BCVA) and provided VR services. Furthermore, two schools were selected to establish an ATVI learning center as a pilot model. Results: In total, 1887 students were registered for VR and obtained their disability certificates in 2019?20. Retina problems (25.7%), globe abnormalities (25.5%), optic nerve atrophy (13.6%), and squint (12.0%) were common ocular problems identified in students. Around 50.3% of students had BCVA ³ 1/60 in the better eye who would be benefited from visual?based AT, and the remaining students with visual substitution AT. Further, 20.8% of them who had near vision between N18 to N24 would be benefitted from large print books. Two schools were provided ATVI with support from the WHO. Familiarization, demonstration, and initial training for ATVI were carried out. Conclusion: A sizable number of the students would be benefitted from visual?based AT apart from visual substitutions AT. Students were interested to have such ATVI centers in the school for academic and non?academic skills development.

Researches about assistive devices in recent ten years: a visual analysis / 中国康复理论与实践

ObjectiveTo analyze the research status, research hotspots and trends at home and abroad in the field of rehabilitation assistive devices in the past ten years. MethodsThe relevant articles of rehabilitation assistive devices from 2012 to 2021 in CNKI and Web of Science (WoS) core collection database were retrieved. The authors, countries, institutions, research hotspots, and trends were extracted with CiteSpace and VOSviewer to draw knowledge mapping. Results and ConclusionThe annual articles published at home and abroad has shown an upward trend year by year. The team with the most articles in China is the Yu Hongliu team, and the institution with the most articles is China Assistive Devices and Technology Center for Persons with Disablities. The team with the most foreign articles is the Maysam G team, and the institution with the most articles is the University of Pittsburgh. The United States has the largest number of literatures and the highest intermediary centrality. Research hotspots related to rehabilitation assistive devices at domestic and abroad mainly focus on the design and development of rehabilitation assistive device products, the application of rehabilitation assistive devices in special/vulnerable populations, the application effect of rehabilitation assistive devices and related professional services; the development trend of intelligent assistive device product design and application research based on intelligent perception, brain-like computing, deep learning and virtual/augmented reality is predicted.

Mobility impairment and life satisfaction in the Northern Region of Malawi

There exist many psychosocial sequelae associated with mobility impairment, especially in low-resource settings where access to mobility assistive devices is limited. Objectives: This study aims to (1) define the burden and presenting aetiologies of mobility impairment in the rural Northern Region of Malawi and (2) assess the relationship between physical disability, life satisfaction and access to mobility aids. Methods: At mobility device donation clinics throughout the Northern Region of Malawi, adults living with mobility impairment were surveyed with a demographic questionnaire and a series of validated surveys to assess their physical activity levels (Global Physical Activity Questionnaire [GPAQ]), degree of mobility impairment (Washington Group Extended Set Questions on Disability) and life satisfaction (patient-reported outcomes measurement information systems satisfaction with participation in social roles and general life satisfaction). Results: There were 251 participants who qualified for inclusion, of which 193 completed all surveys. Higher physical activity scores were positively correlated with increased life satisfaction: (1) satisfaction with participation in social roles (0.481, p < 0.0001) and (2) general life satisfaction (0.230, p < 0.001). Respondents who had previously used a formal mobility device reported 235.5% higher physical activity levels ([139.0%, 333.0%], p = 0.006), significantly higher satisfaction with participation in social roles ([0.21, 6.67], p = 0.037) and equivocally higher general life satisfaction ([−1.77, 3.84], p = 0.470). Conclusion: Disability and mental health do not exist in isolation from one another. Given the positive correlations between formal mobility device usage and both physical activity and life satisfaction, interventions that increase access to mobility-assistive devices in undertreated populations are imperative. Contribution: This study contributes to the understanding of the complex relationship between physical disability, access to mobility aids, and life satisfaction. Results from this study suggest the potential benefit that increasing access to mobility aids may have in improving the quality of life of mobility impaired persons in resource-limited settings, such as the Northern Region of Malawi

Clinical Advance in Pediatric Wheelchair (review) / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To systematically review the effectiveness of pediatric wheelchairs on the function of children with disabilities. Methods:Literatures about clinical application of pediatric wheelchairs were researched from the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane Library, EBSCO (CINAHL), CNKI, Wanfang Database and VIP Database, till February, 2021. The clinical application effectiveness of pediatric wheelchairs was extracted and analyzed by inductive approach. Results:A total of ten case studies, one randomized controlled study and one cohort study were included, and quality assessment showed low quality. There were different types of pediatric wheelchairs for all ages over twelve months and different disease types of children, mostly for cerebral palsy. The review showed that pediatric wheelchairs mainly improved the motor function of disabled children, promoted the development of cognitive functions, and improved activities and participation abilities. The wheelchairs could be individually adapted to manual wheelchairs, electric wheelchairs and smart wheelchairs, according to the individual conditions of the children, with additional postural support devices for adaptive transformation. Conclusion:Pediatric wheelchairs can be used to improve the function and quality of life of children with disabilities. Although functional rehabilitation effects of pediatric wheelchairs have shown a promising trend, most of the current studies are case reports, and there is a lack of high-quality clinical control studies, and the unified adaptation standard has not been established yet.

Rental Service of Assistive Devices in China: Policy Research / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective:To sort out the current situation of rehabilitation assistive devices rental service in China, and suggest the policy for its development. Methods:Based on the four-dimensional social security policy analysis framework, with the combination of subject retrieval and field research, the market players, supporting systems, rental products, financial security and professionals in some pilot areas of community rental of assistive devices in China were summarized. Results:There were still some problems in the rental service of assistive devices in China, mainly as insufficience of main players of the rental market, supporting policies and systems, payment security system, professionals, and social recognition, etc. Conclusion:It is important to reasonably set up rental products, standardize service enterprises, cultivate market players, increase investment, promote talent training, and strengthen publicity, to promote the development of the rental of assistive devices.

Biomechanics in Active Health / 医用生物力学

In active health, biomechanics plays an irreplaceable role. Exercise creates mechanical stimulation to human tissues and organs. It promotes health, or causes injury and disease. In addition, biomechanics is involved in the design and evaluation of assistive devices, as well as in rehabilitation clinical diagnosis and treatment. The development of active health biomechanics requires the integration of sports and medicine. It includes more dynamics, fatigue and mechanical coupling issues. In the future research, on the one hand, the experience of other directions in biomechanics should be learnt from. On the other hand, it is necessary to combine the frontiers of scientific and technological development to develop new directions in biomechanics.

Factors associated with use of assistive walking devices among older adults in Brazil / Fatores associados ao uso de tecnologia assistiva para auxiliar na mobilidade entre idosos no Brasil

Abstract Background Walking devices and other forms of assistive technology (AT) can benefit older adults by supporting mobility and social interactions, but usage outside of high-income countries is generally low. Objective To examine the factors associated with AT use and whether AT use is associated with higher levels of social participation among older adults in Brazil. Method The 2013 Brazilian National Health Survey interviewed 23,815 individuals 60 years or older. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses were used to examine AT use, including canes and walkers, to assist with walking and social participation. Results Among older adults with mobility difficulty, 34.0% (95% CI 31.2- 36.9) reported using AT. Prevalence of the use of AT for walking increases with age: 21.4% of those 60-69 years reported using AT while 58.5% of those 90 years or older did. AT was negatively associated with participation in social activities. Conclusion Our analyses focused on older adults with mobility limitations who need appropriate transportation and environment adaptations to engage socially. Contrary to studies in more developed countries, among Brazilians, AT use is negatively associated with social interactions. The resulting confinement seems to lead to social isolation.

Resumo Introdução Os dispositivos de tecnologia assistiva (TA) podem ajudar idosos na mobilidade e nas interações sociais, mas o uso fora de países de alta renda é geralmente baixo. Objetivo Analisar os fatores associados ao uso de TA e se o uso de TA está associado a níveis mais elevados de participação social entre idosos no Brasil. Método A Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde - PNS 2013 no Brasil entrevistou 23.815 indivíduos com 60 anos ou mais. Análises descritivas e de regressão logística foram utilizadas para examinar a utilização de TA para auxiliar na mobilidade e participação social. Resultados Entre idosos com dificuldade de locomoção, 34,0% (95% IC 31,2-36,9) relataram uso de TA. A prevalência do uso de TA para se locomover aumenta com a idade: 21,4% dos 60-69 anos relataram usar TA enquanto a proporção aumenta para 58,5% entre os de 90 anos ou mais. Uso de TA está negativamente associado à participação em atividades sociais. Conclusão Entre idosos no Brasil com limitações de mobilidade que necessitam de adaptações adequadas de transporte e meio ambiente para engajar socialmente, o uso de TA foi associado negativamente às interações sociais. Esse resultado difere de estudos em países mais desenvolvidos.

Uso de dispositivos de assistência por indivíduo com osteoartrite de mãos / Use of assistive devices by individuals with hands osteoarthritis

[{"text": "Introdução: A osteoartrite de mãos é uma doença articular que acarreta dor, rigidez, deformidade e perda\r\nda mobilidade, gerando grande impacto funcional na vida das pessoas, por tornar as atividades comuns do dia a dia\r\ndifíceis e dolorosas, repercutindo negativamente na sua qualidade de vida. Dispositivos de assistência são estratégias\r\nutilizadas por terapeutas ocupacionais para o tratamento sintomático da osteoartrite de mãos. Objetivo: Identificar e\r\ndescrever dispositivos de assistência indicados para indivíduos com osteoartrite de mãos a partir de uma intervenção\r\ndo terapeuta ocupacional. Método: Estudo observacional, descritivo de corte transversal. Realizado em população\r\ndiagnosticada com Osteaoartrite de mãos, no ambulatório de terapia ocupacional de um hospital referência, no\r\nperíodo de agosto a setembro de 2015. Dezesseis participantes responderam a um questionário semiestruturado\r\nelaborado com enfoque na descrição e frequência de uso dos dispositivos de assistência indicados e ofertados em\r\numa pesquisa mestre. A análise de dados ocorreu por estatística descritiva através de medida de tendência central e\r\ndistribuição de probabilidade. Resultados: Os dispositivos de assistência utilizados no dia a dia dos 16 indivíduos\r\nentrevistados foram adaptadores para o vestir, adaptadores para o banho, descascadores, engrossadores, abridores e\r\ncortadores. Foram incluídos na rotina dos participantes 84% destes dispositivos de assistência com frequência diária,\r\nsemanal e mensal. Conclusão: Os dispositivos de assistência utilizados pela população estudada foram adaptadores\r\npara o vestir, adaptadores para o banho, descascadores, engrossadores, abridores e cortadores.", "_i": "pt"}, {"text": "Introduction: Hands osteoarthritis is a joint disease that causes pain, stiffness, deformity and loss of\r\nmobility. It has huge functional and negative impact on people's quality of life by making the common daily\r\nactivities difficult and painful. Assistive devices are strategies used by occupational therapists for the symptomatic\r\ntreatment hands osteoarthritis. Objective: To identify and describe assistive devices indicated for individuals with\r\nhands osteoarthritis through an Occupational Therapy intervention. Method: Cross-sectional study, conducted on\r\nsubjects diagnosed with hands osteoarthritis in an Occupational Therapy clinic at a reference hospital in the state,\r\nfrom August to September 2015. Sixteen participants answered a researcher-developed semi-structured questionnaire,\r\nfocusing on the description and frequency of use of specified assistive devices. Data were analyzed using descriptive\r\nstatistics through measure of central tendency and probability distribution. Results: The assistive devices used in the\r\ndaily lives of the 16 individuals interviewed were: adapters for dressing, adapters for bathing, peelers, thickeners,\r\njar/bottle openers and cutters. were in the routine of individuals 84% of these assistive devices with a daily, weekly\r\nand monthly frequency. Conclusion: In this study, individuals suffering from hand osteoarthritis used adapters for\r\ndressing, adapters for bathing, thickeners, peelers, jar/bottle openers and cutters as assistive devices.", "_i": "en"}]

Association between Satisfaction with Assistive Technology Devices and Psychosocial Impact among Some Mentally or Physically Disabled Children / 農村醫學 地域保健

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to identify the association between satisfaction with assistive technology devices and psychosocial impact among some mentally or physically disabled children. METHODS: The study subjects were 120 disabled children and their primary caregivers who were using rental assistive technology devices in Gwangju and Jeollanam-Do. Data were collected by structured questionnaire composed of general characteristics of subjects, characteristics related with using assistive devices. Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology 2.0 (QUEST 2.0) and Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Device Scale (PIADS). The statistical analysis were performed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA and Pearson's correlational analysis. RESULTS: The total mean score for QUEST 2.0 was 4.08±0.66 (satisfaction with devices, 4.01±0.70; satisfaction with the assistive devices service, 4.14±0.90) and the mean of PIADS was 1.00±0.75 (ability, 0.99±0.78; adaptability, 1.04±0.86; self-respect, 0.99±0.74). The scores of PIADS was statistically significant difference according to usage time of assistive devices. The PIADS was significantly positive correlated with QUEST 2.0 CONCLUSIONS: The mentally or physically disabled children reported that the higher level of satisfaction and the more positive impact of psychosocial aspect with assistive technology devices. It would be necessary to perform further studies for addressing the effects of assistive technology devices.

Rehabilitation, Education, and Assistive Devices Utilization of School Age Children with Cerebral Palsy:A Follow-up Study / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Objective To follow up the rehabilitation, education, and assistive devices utilization of school age children with cerebral palsy. Methods From 2012 to 2015, 80 children with cerebral palsy were called their parents with telephone and filled in the questionnaires. Results 69 children (85.25%) continued to receive rehabilitation, 11 children (13.75%) stopped rehabilitation. 42 children (56.25%) received education in ordinary schools, 15 children (18.75%) received education in special schools, 4 children (5.00%) were nursed in nursing institu-tion, 16 children (20.00%) stayed at home and did not receive any education. The main problem and needing at present were receiving reha-bilitation, receiving school education, relief the rehabilitation cost of more than one institution, etc. 61 children (76.25%) ever applied for as-sistive devices, 19 children (23.75%) did not. The feedback of application process in order were smoothly;applied, but didn't get;the assis-tive devices that received was inappropriate. 29 children (73.75%) needed assistive devices currently, 21 children (26.25%) did not. When asked the category of needed assistive devices at present, 19 parents (20%) answered that they did not know the category of assistive devices well or they did not know which kind of assistive devices they needed. Conclusion It is important to provide quality and quantity rehabilita-tion and education service, popularize the knowledge of assistive devices and their clinical application for cerebral palsy children. Assistive devices providing departments should do more communication with cerebral palsy children and their parents, in order to reduce the waste of resources, and increase the rational use of resources, and provide more benefits for children with disabilities.

Basic Conception and Prospect of Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology / 中国康复理论与实践

The conceptions and characteristics of five basic terms,including rehabilitation engineering,assistive technology,assistive devices,assistive technology service and accessibility,were discussed briefly in this paper.The newest ISO 9999 Assistive Products for Per-sons with Disability-Classification and Terminology(sixth edition)published in 2016 was also introduced.In the future,assistive technolo-gy and rehabilitation engineering would be normalized as assistive health technology to carry out global cooperation(GATE),Priority Assis-tive Products List including 50 kinds of assistive products published by World Health Organization would be a model to make assistive poli-cy and project,assistive technology services would be standardized,assistive technology would continue to innovate,assistive technologies and therapy would be integrated,as well as assistive technologies and rehabilitation medicine,etc.

Use and Needs of Assistive Devices in the Background of Aging: Current Situation and Research Progress / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Through review and summary of literature, this paper finds that there is large gap between usage and needs among the elderly and persons with disabilities. Demographic characteristics, economic factors and environment, psychological factors are related factors to the use and needs of assistive devices. It is insufficient in research about assistive devices in China, especially those about theory and system setting, as well as empirical research of different groups.

Use and Needs of Assistive Devices in the Background of Aging: Current Situation and Research Progress / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Through review and summary of literature, this paper finds that there is large gap between usage and needs among the elderly and persons with disabilities. Demographic characteristics, economic factors and environment, psychological factors are related factors to the use and needs of assistive devices. It is insufficient in research about assistive devices in China, especially those about theory and system setting, as well as empirical research of different groups.

Evaluation from Composite Adaptation of Assistive Devices Program in Shanghai / 中国康复理论与实践

@#Objective To analyze the results from adopted evaluation of Composite Adaptation of Assistive Devices Program (CAADP) in Shanghai. Methods 1996 potential adaptation objects were evaluated by professional assessment panel with the questionnaire developed by our research group in the early. Results and Conclusion Physical disabilities were the majority. 97.69% of the objects needed different assistance from others or aids in their daily lives, with low quality of life. The assistive devices recommended were an average of 4.3 per person with complete species.

Analysis on Medical Device Supervision of Orthoses / 中国康复理论与实践

Objective To discuss the key problem of medical device supervision of orthoses and its effect on orthoses market. Methods The meaning of orthoses was discriminated, the status of regulation was revealed, the generic names of orthoses was designed, and the effect of supervision on different body of orthoses market was analyzed. Results Difficulties are brought to the medical device regulation because of different meanings of orthoses in the fields of assistive devices and medical devices. Scientific classification and naming was the right way to solve the problem. Conclusion All the organizations on chains of orthoses are within the category of medical device supervision. Fit-ting organizations of orthoses should also accept regulation of China Food and Drug Administration, at the same time gaining qualification from China Ministry of Civil Affairs. The problem of personalized orthoses supervision needs to be solved properly.

Service of Assistive Devices in Taiwan / 中国康复理论与实践

Six administrative systems are established to provide assistive devices for the person with disability in Taiwan, such as medi-cal insurance, disabled soldier, labour, education, sports, health and welfare, etc. Service network, subsidies directory, subsidies standards and evaluation system of assistive devices are also set up.

Evaluation of gait performance of knee osteoarthritis patients after total knee arthroplasty with different assistive devices

IntroductionNowadays Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) affects a large percentage of the elderly, and one solution is to perform a Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA). In this paper, one intends to study the gait and posture of these patients after the TKA, while walking with three assistive devices (ADs) (crutches, standard walker (SW) and rollator with forearm supports (RFS)).MethodsEleven patients were evaluated in 2 phases: 5 days and 15 days after surgery. This evaluation was conducted with two inertial sensors, one attached to the operated leg ankle, to measure spatiotemporal parameters, and the other at the sacrum, to measure posture and fall risk-related parameters. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with repeated measures was performed to detect group differences.ResultsThe MANOVA results show that all spatiotemporal parameters are significantly different (p<0.05) between the two phases of study. So, time has a significant influence on such parameters. In relation to the ADs, one observes that there are statistical significant effects on all spatiotemporal parameters, except for swing duration and step length (p>0.05). The interaction between time and ADs only affects significantly the velocity (p<0.05). In terms of fall risk parameters, time only significantly affects the antero-posterior direction (p<0.05) and ADs affects significantly root mean square in medio-lateral direction (p<0.05). In terms of interaction between time and ADs, there are no statistical significant differences.ConclusionThis study concludes that depending on the state of recovery of the patient, different ADs should be prescribed. On the overall, standard walker is good to give stability to the patient and RFS allows the patient to present a gait pattern closer to a natural gait.

Brain–muscle interface: The next-generation BMI.

Spinal cord injuries result in loss of movements below the site of injury because connections between the brain and the muscles are cut. Treatment strategies have focused on restoring connectivity by the application of drugs, or cell or tissue transplants. Brain–machine interface (BMI) devices, on the other hand, aim to improve the quality of life of the patients by using technology to record neural signals directly from the brain and using these signals to control robotic devices, which substitute for the paralysed body part by performing functions such as locomotion and feeding (Jain 2010). BMI devices, which have been successfully demonstrated in rats, monkeys and humans (Chapin et al. 1999; Wessberg et al. 2000; Hochberg et al. 2006), are based on a discovery made nearly three decades ago by Georgopoulos and colleagues. They found that in the primary motor cortex direction of movements is coded in the activity of neurons (Georgopoulos et al. 1983). The firing rate of a neuron coding for the direction of the arm movement is maximum for movement in a particular direction, and decreases as the movement direction shifts away. Neurons in the premotor cortex show a similar directional tuning, except that they discharge before the actual movement takes place, during the movement planning phase. BMI devices record activity of ensembles of neurons, analyse it using mathematical algorithms to predict the intended movement and use the output to generate command signals that control the robotic devices (figure 1A). BMI technology has recently added two new tools to its arsenal, which have the potential to overcome certain technical challenges and make it easier to implement. The first advancement is the use of an individual’s ability to modulate neural activity at will. Practitioners of Indian meditative yoga can control their brain rhythms (Khare and Nigam 2000). Interestingly, control can be achieved at the level of a single neuron. Fetz (1969) showed that monkeys could learn to modulate the firing rate of individual neurons in the motor cortex to obtain rewards, an ability that the Fetz group recently used in a BMI device (Moritz et al. 2008). Previous BMI devices have generally relied on recordings from neurons that actually participate in generating specific movements. In these devices the neuronal activity recorded when the animal is physically doing the task is used to optimize a mathematical algorithm, which is subsequently used to control the robot for mimicking the arm movement. This sequence of optimization is not possible in patients with paralysis, because the devices will be introduced post-injury; no pre-injury recordings of the neuronal activity will obviously be available. Voluntary control over the activity of neurons makes it unnecessary to know a priori the exact contribution of a neuron in the movement generation in order to get a signal suitable for controlling a robotic device. The intra-cortical electrodes can provide stable recordings for many years (Jain et al. 2001; Rajan and Jain, unpublished observations), but cannot be moved easily once placed. Moreover, electrodes often lose the ability to record from the same sets of neurons. This, combined with widespread reorganization of the brain following spinal cord injuries (Jain et al. 1997; Tandon et al. 2009; Kambi et al. 2011), can be especially problematic if recordings from specific neurons were essential for BMI devices. The ability to modulate neuronal activity also provides greater flexibility to the scientists in choosing a site for placement of intra-cortical microelectrodes. Finally, the patients can possibly generate multiple patterns of activities, allowing use of recordings from the same groups of neurons to control different movements, such as feeding and walking, which are normally controlled by different neurons in the brain. The second important technological advancement made by Fetz and colleagues (Moritz et al. 2008) gets rid of the robot as the effector device. Instead of using the brain activity to control a robotic arm, they converted the brain signals into electrical signals, which were used to stimulate the muscles of the paralysed arm. In their study, they first trained monkeys to make rotational movements of the wrist to control a cursor and move it towards a target that appeared on a computer screen, and recorded neural activity from neurons in the motor cortex that controlled the flexor and the extensor muscles of the wrist. In the second step of the training, the position of the cursor was represented as a function of the firing rates of the neurons, which were also available to the monkeys as a visual feedback. The monkeys rapidly learnt to maintain the neuronal activity at a particular level to control the cursor. Post training, muscles of the wrist were reversibly paralysed by injecting a local anesthetic into the peripheral nerves innervating the arm, thus blocking neuronal activity from reaching the arm. In the final testing step, the neuronal activities were converted into proportional electrical currents and used to directly stimulate the paralysed muscles of the arm. Monkeys learnt to precisely control the cursor by increasing or decreasing the neuronal activity, which changed the amount of electrical current delivered to the muscles, and generated the appropriate levels of wrist torque. Moreover, monkeys could independently control the activity of a pair of neurons to specifically stimulate antagonistic pairs of muscles, thus effectively restoring movement of the paralysed arm (figure 1B). Although one could assume that activity of neurons associated with the wrist movement would be more accurate at generating wrist torques, the monkeys were able to control wrist torques by controlling activity of neurons irrespective of their association with the wrist movements. As compared with a BMI device controlling a robotic arm, restoring control of movement in the paralysed arm will reduce the hardware that the patients need to carry around. Use of the natural arm will also make the device less obtrusive and aesthetically more acceptable. In their study, Moritz et al. (2008) were able to produce large ballistic movements by muscle stimulation. It is not clear if a similar device can achieve fine control of complex finger movements as this would require rapid, simultaneous or sequential control of multiple neurons. A detailed understanding of the neural control of individual muscles and the role of sensory feedback in muscle control is necessary.

Developing Process of Assistive Devices and their Service Model / 中国康复理论与实践

@#This paper briefly reviewed the developing process of assistive devices, which is from individual manufacture to batch production and finally to large -scale industry, introduced new concepts in the world concerning assistive devices, accessibility and assistive technology services. Thereby two suggestions about assistive devices in China are put forward in the paper. One is to do assistive technology services in Community-Based Rehabilitation(CBR) well so that to put popular type of assistive devices into the community and home. The other is to train a number of professionals to do assistive technology services and establish service-system of assistive devices to cover the entire country.