NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BIOMEDICAL

IMAGING AND BIOENGINEERING

Rehabilitation Engineering
National Institutes of Health

What is rehabilitation engineering?

Rehabilitation engineering is the use of engineering science and principles to 1) develop technological solutions
and devices to assist individuals with disabilities, and 2) aid the recovery of physical and cognitive functions
lost because of disease or injury.

Rehabilitation engineers design and build devices and systems to meet a wide range
of needs that can assist individuals with mobility, communication, hearing, vision,
and cognition. These tools help people with day-to-day activities and tasks related to
employment, independent living, and education.

Rehabilitation engineering may involve relatively simple observations of how

workers perform tasks, and then making accommodations to eliminate further
Source: Michael Goldfarb, injuries and discomfort. On the other end of the spectrum, more complex
Vanderbilt University
rehabilitation engineering is the design of sophisticated brain computer interfaces
that allow a severely disabled individual to operate computers, and other assistive devices simply by An individual writes sentences with
his thoughts using a brain-computer
thinking about the task they want to perform. interface system.
Source: The Wadsworth Center, New York State
Department of Health
Rehabilitation engineers also develop and improve rehabilitation methods used by individuals to regain
functions lost due to disease or injury, such as limb (arm and or leg) mobility following a stroke or a joint replacement.
What types of assistive devices have been developed through rehabilitation engineering?
The following are examples of the many types of assistive devices.

• Wheelchairs; scooters; and prosthetic devices, such as artificial limbs that provide mobility for
people with physical disabilities that affect movement.

• Kitchen implements with large, cushioned grips to help people with weakness or arthritis in their
hands with everyday living tasks.

• Automatic page-turners, book holders, and adapted pencil grips, that allow participation in
educational activities in school and at home.
RUPERT: a device for robotic
upper extremity repetitive therapy.
• Medication dispensers with alarms that can help people remember to take their medicine on time. Source: Jiping He, Arizona State
University

• Specially engineered computer programs that provide voice recognition to help people with sensory
impairments use computer technology.

How can future rehabilitation engineering research improve the quality of life for individuals?
Ongoing research in rehabilitation engineering involves the design and development of new, innovative
assistive devices. An important research area focuses on the development of new technologies and
techniques for improved therapies that help people regain physical or cognitive functions lost because of
disease or injury. For example:

• Rehabilitation robotics that involves the use of robots as therapy aids instead of solely as
Robotic training enhances arm motor
assistive devices. Intelligent rehabilitation robotics aids mobility training in individuals suffering
recovery after stroke. from impaired movement, such as following a stroke.
Source: David Reinkensmeyer, UC Irvine

• Virtual rehabilitation, which uses virtual reality simulation exercises for physical and cognitive rehabilitation. Compared
to conventional therapies, virtual rehabilitation can offer several advantages. It is entertaining and motivates patients. It
provides objective measures such as range of motion or game scores that can be stored on the computer operating the
simulation. The virtual exercises can be performed at home by a patient and monitored by a therapist over the Internet
(known as tele-rehabilitation), which offers convenience as well as reduced costs.
• Improved prosthetics, such as smarter artificial legs. This is an area where researchers continue to make
advances in design and function to better mimic natural limb movement and user intent.

Dec. 2019 NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health www.nibib.nih.gov

 NatioNal iNstitute of Biomedical imagiNg aNd BioeNgiNeeriNg

• Increasingly sophisticated use of computers as the interface between the user and various devices to
enable severely impaired individuals increased independence and integration into the community. For example,
brain computer interfaces that use the brain’s electrical impulses to allow individuals to learn to move a computer
cursor or a robotic arm that can reach and grab items.

• Development of new technologies to analyze human motion, to better understand the electrophysiology of
muscle and brain activity, and to more accurately monitor human functions. These technologies will continue to
drive innovation in assistive devices and rehabilitation strategies.
What are NIBIB-funded researchers developing in the area of rehabilitation engineering?
Promising research currently supported by NIBIB includes a wide range of approaches and technological development. Several
examples are described below.

Wireless Tongue Drive System for Paralyzed Patients: NIBIB-funded researchers are developing
an assistive technology called the Tongue Drive System (TDS). The core TDS technology exploits the fact
that even individuals with severe paralysis that impairs limb movement, breathing, and speech can still
move their tongue. Simple tongue movements send commands to the computer allowing users to steer
their wheelchairs, operate their computers, and generally control their environment in an independent
fashion.
The tongue magnet and headset
allow an individual to move a
computer cursor and operate other Neurostimulation in Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) for Recovery of Voluntary
devices with the tongue.
Source: M. Ghovanloo, Georgia Institute
Control of Standing and Movement, and Involuntary Control of Blood Pressure, Bladder
of Technology
and Sexual Function: Through the NIBIB Rehabilitation Engineering program, researchers are
developing the next generation of high density electrode arrays for stimulation of the spinal cord. The
first patient received a current generation electrical stimulator implant in his lower back. The electrical
stimulation and locomotor training resulted in the ability to stand independently for several minutes, some
voluntary leg control, and regained blood pressure control, bladder, bowel, and sexual function. Three
more patients have received this treatment and had similar results.

A man guides his wheelchair

Smart Environment Technologies: As the population ages, increasing numbers of Americans are
around an obstacle course using the unable to live independently. NIBIB-funded researchers are working on creating smart environments
tongue magnet and headset system.
Source: M. Ghovanloo, Georgia Institute that aid with home health monitoring and intervention allowing individuals with health issues to remain
of Technology
safely at home. For example, researchers are analyzing the needs and limitations of Alzheimer’s patients
to develop automated and reminder-based technologies that can be integrated into the home to help with
everyday tasks.

Artificial Hands Capable of Complex Movements and Sensation: Persons with hand
amputations expect modern hand prostheses to function like intact hands. Current state-of-the-art
prosthetic hands simply control two movements “open” and “close.” As a result, NIBIB researchers
are developing new artificial hand systems that would perform complex hand motions based on
measurements of the residual electrical signals from the remaining muscles of an amputee’s forearm.
Signals from the muscles (in one project) and nerves (from another project) have the potential to result
in much finer control of the fingers in the artificial hand. In addition, one of the teams is working on
capturing the sense of touch, so in the future the users will be able to also “feel” what they are holding
with their artificial hand.

NIBIB Contacts
National Institute of
Biomedical Imaging
and Bioengineering
6707 Democracy Blvd. Office of Science Policy
Suite 200 and Communications
Bethesda, MD 20892 Press Office:
Phone: 301-496-8859 Phone: 301-496-3500
[email protected] Fax: 301-480-1613
www.nibib.nih.gov [email protected]

Dec. 2013 NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health www.nibib.nih.gov