We had last one month filled with "Olympics Fun". India made history with its best-ever Olympic performance. With that there... there is something else called Paralympics.
What do you think about the Paralympics?
How far Rehabilitation Engineering is useful in Paralympics? Justify your answer with AN EXAMPLE.
Rehabilitation Engineering :Rehabilitation Engineering is the application of science and technology to improve the quality of life for individuals with disabilities. The rehabilitation engineering profession includes rehabilitation engineers, rehabilitation technologists and rehabilitation technicians.
Paralympics : A series of an international sports festival for athletes with disabilities, now held every four years in conjunction with the Olympic Games.
Athletes with disabilities have a beautiful synergism with the technology that enables them to compete. From a sports tech perspective, this means the athletes are working closely with sports engineers to create adaptive technology to maximize their abilities in the pursuit of excellence. For any technologist, this would be riveting enough, but add the adversity these athletes experience, and the awe-inspiring sporting performance
Example:
SLEDGE HOCKEY: sledge hockey (also known as Para ice hockey,)is an adaptation of ice hockey designed for players who have a physical disability. Invented in the early 1960s at a rehabilitation center in Stockholm,Sweden and played under similar rules to standard ice hockey, players are seated on sleds and use special hockey sticks with metal "teeth" on the tips of their handles to the ice. Playing venues use an ice hockey rink.
Via its division World Para Ice Hockey, the international Paralympic committee(IPC) acts as the international sanctioning body for the sport. Para ice hockey has been played in the winter Paralympics since 1994, and has been one of the most popular events. The sticks have a blade curved at one end in a manner similar to regular ice hockey, and generally six to eight metal teeth at the opposite end of the blade for maneuvering and propulsion. Movement is achieved by using the metal teeth as a means to grip the ice and push oneself forward. The metal teeth cannot be too pointy nor protrude farther than 1 cm beyond the stick, to prevent damage to the ice or injury of other players. Other equipment includes a helmet with facemask, shoulder and elbow pads, shin guards, and hockey gloves. Pants and footwear are at the discretion of both the player's comfort and need. Goaltenders wear the standard mask, chest and arm protector, blocker pad and catching glove, plus a leg pad if they so desire and a stick with teeth on both the paddle as well as the knob of the stick. Additionally, goalies may make modifications to their equipment: a common mod is to attach the plastic outsoles of track spikes onto the outer part of their gloves to aid in lateral mobility.
Rehabilitation engineering
Rehabilitation engineering is the systematic application of engineering sciences to design, develop, adapt, test, evaluate, apply, and distribute technological solutions to problems confronted by individuals with disabilities. These individuals may have experienced a spinal cord injury, brain trauma, or any other debilitating injury or disease Such as Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's, West Nile, ALS, etc...
Ongoing research
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers conduct research in the rehabilitation engineering, each focusing on one general area or aspect of disability. For example, the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute conducts research for the blind and visually impaired.
Paralympics
The word “Paralympic” derives from the Greek preposition “para” (beside or alongside) and the word “Olympic”. Its meaning is that Paralympics are the parallel Games to the Olympics and illustrates how the two movements exist side-by-side. The Paralympics developed after Sir Ludwig Guttmann organized a sports competition for British World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries in England in 1948.
The size and diversity of the Paralympic Games have increased greatly over the years. The Paralympics in 1960 hosted 400 athletes from 23 countries participating in eight sports. Just over 50 years later, at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, more than 4,200 athletes representing 164 countries participated in 20 sports.
Example
Goalball is a team sport designed specifically for blind athletes. The sport was devised back in 1946 to help rehabilitate war veterans returning from World War II. Participants compete in teams of three, and try to throw a ball into the opponents' goal. A match consists of two halves of 12 minutes each. The ball (like in football 5-a-side) has bells embedded in it. Goalball is played by male and female teams. The athletes wear blackout eye masks on the playing court, which allows players with varying degrees of vision to participate together.
The Paralympic goalball competitions are set apart from the other Paralympic events because of the unique atmosphere required inside the playing venue - goalball requires silence in the stands during the game so players can hear the bells in the ball and the officials' instructions. Goalball was a demonstration sport at the 1976 Summer Paralympics in Toronto, and made its debut as an official sport at the Paralympics in 1980. It was the first Paralympic sport designed exclusively for disabled players.
PARALYMPICS:
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics are a periodic series of international multi-sport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power , impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency , leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment and intellectual impairment. There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, are held almost immediately following the respective Olympic Games. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
REHABILITATION ENGINEERING:
Rehabilitation engineering is the systematic application of engineering sciences to design, develop, adapt, test, evaluate, apply, and distribute technological solutions to problems confronted by individuals with disabilities. These individuals may have experienced a spinal cord injury, brain trauma, or any other debilitating injury or disease . Functional areas addressed through rehabilitation engineering may include mobility, communications, hearing, vision, and cognition, and activities associated with employment, independent living, education, and integration into the community.
ROLE OF REHABILITATION ENGINEERING IN PARALYMPICS:
Science and technology has become an increasingly important element of sporting competition. From the detailed monitoring of training programs to the ergonomic design of football boots, most sportsmen and women owe their achievements, at least in part, to the work of sports scientists and engineers.
The last decade or so has seen a rapid rate of development in the field of sports science. University laboratories have been a hive of activity, working to shave mere hundredths of a second off an athlete’s time or deliver a fraction more spin when bowling a ball. The tolerances involved are minute, and yet in the world of elite sport it could mean the difference between first and last place.
Nowhere is this synergy between man and technology more prevalent than in the Paralympic community. Since the games began in 1948 at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, engineering has been paramount to those participating in what has become an integral part of the Olympic legacy.
Improvements in Paralympic equipment have been rapid over the years, whether it is the design of a wheelchair or the materials used to reduce the weight of prosthetics, engineers have increasingly pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable. This is a trend that looks set to grow exponentially as advances in nanotechnology, 3D printing and biomedical engineering open whole new windows of opportunity.
Yet as the Paralympics embrace innovation, some quarters of the sporting community have raised concerns about the introduction of performance-enhancing systems. Coining the term ‘technology doping’, their argument is based on the principle that engineering should help to provide a level playing field in sport rather than create an unfair advantage. After all, they claim, sport is about athletic ability over and above anything else.
PARALYMPICS:
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics are a periodic series of international multi-sport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power , impaired passive range of movement, limb deficiency , leg length difference, short stature, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis, vision impairment and intellectual impairment.There are Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, are held almost immediately following the respective Olympic Games. All Paralympic Games are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC).
REHABILITATION ENGINEERING:
Rehabilitation engineering is the systematic application of engineering sciences to design, develop, adapt, test, evaluate, apply, and distribute technological solutions to problems confronted by individuals with disabilities. These individuals may have experienced a spinal cord injury, brain trauma, or any other debilitating injury or disease . Functional areas addressed through rehabilitation engineering may include mobility, communications, hearing, vision, and cognition, and activities associated with employment, independent living, education, and integration into the community.
ROLE OF REHABILITATION ENGINEERING IN PARALYMPICS:
Science and technology has become an increasingly important element of sporting competition. From the detailed monitoring of training programs to the ergonomic design of football boots, most sportsmen and women owe their achievements, at least in part, to the work of sports scientists and engineers.
The last decade or so has seen a rapid rate of development in the field of sports science. University laboratories have been a hive of activity, working to shave mere hundredths of a second off an athlete’s time or deliver a fraction more spin when bowling a ball. The tolerances involved are minute, and yet in the world of elite sport it could mean the difference between first and last place.
Nowhere is this synergy between man and technology more prevalent than in the Paralympic community. Since the games began in 1948 at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, engineering has been paramount to those participating in what has become an integral part of the Olympic legacy.
Improvements in Paralympic equipment have been rapid over the years, whether it is the design of a wheelchair or the materials used to reduce the weight of prosthetics, engineers have increasingly pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable. This is a trend that looks set to grow exponentially as advances in nanotechnology, 3D printing and biomedical engineering open whole new windows of opportunity.
Yet as the Paralympics embrace innovation, some quarters of the sporting community have raised concerns about the introduction of performance-enhancing systems. Coining the term ‘technology doping’, their argument is based on the principle that engineering should help to provide a level playing field in sport rather than create an unfair advantage. After all, they claim, sport is about athletic ability over and above anything else.
☆Rehabilitation engineering is the use of engineering 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 related to employment, independent living and education.
☆The Paralympics has grown from a small gathering of British World War II veterans in 1948 to become one of the largest international sporting events by the early 21st century. The Paralympics has grown from 400 athletes with a disability from 23 countries in 1960 to thousands of competitors from over 100 countries at the 2012 Summer Olympics.Spirit in Motion” is the motto for the Paralympic movement. The symbol for the Paralympics contains three colours, red, blue, and green, which are the colours most widely represented in the flags of nations.
☆The vision of the IPC is, "To enable Paralympic athletes to achieve sporting excellence and to inspire and excite the world."
The Paralympic anthem is "Hymne de l'Avenir" or "Anthem of the Future". It was composed by Thierry Darnis and adopted as the official anthem in March 1996.
☆Rehabilitation engineering may involve relatively simple observations of how individuals perform tasks, and making accommodations to eliminate further injuries and discomfort. On the other end of the spectrum, rehabilitation engineering includes sophisticated brain computer interfaces that allow a severely disabled individual to operate computers and other devices simply by thinking about the task they want to perform.
☆Rehabilitation engineers also improve upon standard rehabilitation methods to regain functions lost due to congenital disorders, disease (such as stroke or joint replacement) or injury (such as limb loss) to restore mobility. Science and technology has become an increasingly important element of sporting competition. From the detailed monitoring of training programs to the ergonomic design of football boots, most sportsmen and women owe their achievements, at least in part, to the work of sports scientists and engineers.
☆Improvements in Paralympic equipment have been rapid over the years, whether it is the design of a wheelchair or the materials used to reduce the weight of prosthetics, engineers have increasingly pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable. This is a trend that looks set to grow exponentially as advances in nanotechnology, 3D printing and biomedical engineering open whole new windows of opportunity.Yet as the Paralympics embrace innovation, some quarters of the sporting community have raised concerns about the introduction of performance-enhancing systems. Coining the term ‘technology doping’, their argument is based on the principle that engineering should help to provide a level playing field in sport rather than create an unfair advantage.
Paralympic athletes have an impairment in body structures and functions that lead to a competitive disadvantage in sport. Consequently, criteria is put in place to ensure that winning is determined by skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability and mental focus, the same factors that account for success in sport for athletes who are able-bodied. Classification is the process by which athletes are assessed to determine the impact their impairment has on their ability to compete in a specific sport.
The Paralympic Movement offers sport opportunities for athletes that have an impairment that belongs to one of the ten eligible impairment types identified in the “Policy on Eligible Impairments in the Paralympic Movement."
Impaired Muscle Power
Athletes with Impaired Muscle Power have a health condition that either reduces or eliminates their ability to voluntarily contract their muscles in order to move or to generate force.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Impaired Muscle Power include spinal cord injury (complete or incomplete, tetra- or paraplegia or paraparesis), muscular dystrophy, post-polio syndrome and spina bifida.
Impaired Passive Range of Movement (ROM)
Athletes with Impaired Passive Range of Movement have a restriction or a lack of passive movement in one or more joints.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Impaired Passive Range of Movement include throgryposis and contracture resulting from chronic joint immobilization or trauma affecting a joint.
Limb Deficiency
Athletes with Limb Deficiency have total or partial absence of bones or joints as a consequence of trauma (for example traumatic amputation), illness (for example amputation due to bone cancer) or congenital limb deficiency (for example dysmelia).
Leg Length Difference
Athletes with Leg Length Difference have a difference in the length of their legs as a result of a disturbance of limb growth, or as a result of trauma.
Short Stature
Athletes with Short Stature will have a reduced length in the bones of the upper limbs, lower limbs an/or trunk.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Short Stature include achondroplasia, growth hormone dysfunction, and osteogenesis imperfecta.
Hypertonia
Athletes with Hypertonia have an increase in muscle tension and a reduced ability of a muscle to stretch caused by damage to the central nervous system.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Hypertonia include cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and stroke.
Ataxia
Athletes with Ataxia have uncoordinated movements caused by damage to the central nervous system.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Ataxia include cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke and multiple sclerosis.
Athetosis
Athletes with Athetosis have continual slow involuntary movements.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Athetosis include cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and stroke.
Vision Impairment
Athletes with Vision Impairment have reduced or no vision caused by damage to the eye structure, optical nerves or optical pathways, or visual cortex of the brain.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Vision Impairment include retinitis pigmentosa and diabetic retinopathy.
Intellectual Impairment
Athletes with an intellectual Impairment have a restriction in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior in which affects conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills required for everyday life. This Impairment must be present before the age of 18.
So after a few weeks break from the Olympics the sporting world’s attention turns back to Rio for the Paralympics.
Athletes with disabilities have a beautiful synergism with the technology that enables them to compete. From a sports tech perspective, this means the athletes are working closely with sports engineers to create adaptive technology to maximise their abilities in the pursuit of excellence. For any technologist, this would be riveting enough, but add the adversity these athletes experience, and the awe-inspiring sporting performance they produce and you it’s clear to see why the Paralympics is so special.
We here at SABEL have been doing a bit of research with a few of our Aussie athletes who are competing over there. Recently we’ve been using our SABEL sense on Wheelchair athletes to track players in training and match like simulations, you can see the paper here and the infographic below sums up the research.
Paralympic athletes have an impairment in body structures and functions that lead to a competitive disadvantage in sport. Consequently, criteria is put in place to ensure that winning is determined by skill, fitness, power, endurance, tactical ability and mental focus, the same factors that account for success in sport for athletes who are able-bodied. Classification is the process by which athletes are assessed to determine the impact their impairment has on their ability to compete in a specific sport.
The Paralympic Movement offers sport opportunities for athletes that have an impairment that belongs to one of the ten eligible impairment types identified in the “Policy on Eligible Impairments in the Paralympic Movement."
Impaired Muscle Power
Athletes with Impaired Muscle Power have a health condition that either reduces or eliminates their ability to voluntarily contract their muscles in order to move or to generate force.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Impaired Muscle Power include spinal cord injury (complete or incomplete, tetra- or paraplegia or paraparesis), muscular dystrophy, post-polio syndrome and spina bifida.
Impaired Passive Range of Movement (ROM)
Athletes with Impaired Passive Range of Movement have a restriction or a lack of passive movement in one or more joints.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Impaired Passive Range of Movement include throgryposis and contracture resulting from chronic joint immobilization or trauma affecting a joint.
Limb Deficiency
Athletes with Limb Deficiency have total or partial absence of bones or joints as a consequence of trauma (for example traumatic amputation), illness (for example amputation due to bone cancer) or congenital limb deficiency (for example dysmelia).
Leg Length Difference
Athletes with Leg Length Difference have a difference in the length of their legs as a result of a disturbance of limb growth, or as a result of trauma.
Short Stature
Athletes with Short Stature will have a reduced length in the bones of the upper limbs, lower limbs an/or trunk.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Short Stature include achondroplasia, growth hormone dysfunction, and osteogenesis imperfecta.
Hypertonia
Athletes with Hypertonia have an increase in muscle tension and a reduced ability of a muscle to stretch caused by damage to the central nervous system.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Hypertonia include cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and stroke.
Ataxia
Athletes with Ataxia have uncoordinated movements caused by damage to the central nervous system.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Ataxia include cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury, stroke and multiple sclerosis.
Athetosis
Athletes with Athetosis have continual slow involuntary movements.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Athetosis include cerebral palsy, traumatic brain injury and stroke.
Vision Impairment
Athletes with Vision Impairment have reduced or no vision caused by damage to the eye structure, optical nerves or optical pathways, or visual cortex of the brain.
Examples of an underlying health condition that can lead to Vision Impairment include retinitis pigmentosa and diabetic retinopathy.
Intellectual Impairment
Athletes with an intellectual Impairment have a restriction in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior in which affects conceptual, social and practical adaptive skills required for everyday life. This Impairment must be present before the age of 18.
So after a few weeks break from the Olympics the sporting world’s attention turns back to Rio for the Paralympics.
Athletes with disabilities have a beautiful synergism with the technology that enables them to compete. From a sports tech perspective, this means the athletes are working closely with sports engineers to create adaptive technology to maximise their abilities in the pursuit of excellence. For any technologist, this would be riveting enough, but add the adversity these athletes experience, and the awe-inspiring sporting performance they produce and you it’s clear to see why the Paralympics is so special.
We here at SABEL have been doing a bit of research with a few of our Aussie athletes who are competing over there. Recently we’ve been using our SABEL sense on Wheelchair athletes to track players in training and match like simulations, you can see the paper here and the infographic below sums up the research.
REHABILITATION ENGINEERING: Rehabilitation engineering is the use of engineering 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.
• The essence of the Paralympics is that technology must be reasonably available to all, safe, fair and, most importantly, must not “enhance performance beyond the natural physical ability of the athlete”. •This means that externally powered sources and large springs are prohibited. And while they may impact the ability of the athletes to improve daily performance and training, many of the advances in prosthetics are at odds with the IPC ruling. • Prostheses are a tool; an extension of the person, more akin currently to the interaction of an athlete with a bicycle or kayak where the design is purpose specific. • Improvements will come in the form of new materials, improved design characteristics and advanced manufacturing techniques before the next Olympics in 2020. However, the vast improvement in performance will more likely stem from general athletic improvement.
• For example, the carbon “blade”, or “Cheetah”, was first introduced around 30 years ago and has not significantly changed in that time. Yet 100-metre sprint times in the Paralympics have continued to improve over that time. • This vast improvement is starting to decay, much like in the Olympics. This seems to imply that although the blade is “essential for performance”, it is not the only factor. It still relies on the human element to drive it and any new technology must still have the person at the centre. • The Olympics and Paralympics both have issues of how to deal with technology and the “purity of the sport”, especially in sports that rely on the athlete using an extension of themselves, such as cycling. • But just as we tend to celebrate the indomitable spirit and fortitude of those who reach that pinnacle without focusing on how technology got them there in the Olympics, maybe we should also focus on those same traits of the Paralympian and realise that the technology is part of the sport, but it is really the person that got them there.
REHABILITATION ENGINEERING:
Rehabilitation engineering is the use of engineering 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.
ROLE OF REHABILITATION ENGINEERING:
Rehabilitation engineering is the systematic application of engineering sciences to design, develop, adapt, test, evaluate, apply, and distribute technological solutions to problems confronted by individuals with disabilities.
EXAMPLE:
Ultimately, specific activity such as swimming offers rehabilitation-based benefits and is one of the most common forms of cardiovascular exercise for those with lower limb amputations. For those wishing to not only participate in exercise but have aspirations of competition, the Paralympic Games offers a competitive outlet for swimmers with limb absence. In addition, possessing a disability may also not be a barrier to able-bodied competitive sport. For example, South African swimmer Natalie du Toit has lower limb amputation and has competed at both the Paralympic and Olympic Games.
PARALYMPIC SWIMMING:
Swimming is one of the inaugural sports within the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the key difference between the Olympic and Paralympic games being the classification system. The aim of this study was to investigate how effective the current classification system creates clearly differentiated Paralympic competition classes, based on performance time for all swimming strokes and events. Based on the performance characteristics of swimmers within the current classification system, the relationship between impairment and swimming performance is inconsistent, potentially disadvantaging some athletes.
Whilst other sports often require the use of advanced assistive technology, people with limb absence can swim easily without the need for prostheses. However, swimming without prostheses may create imbalances which in turn can lead to injuries. Therefore, the use of prosthetic technology may assist in strengthening the residual limb muscles and promote functional symmetry.
Rehabilitation engineering is the use of engineering 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 related to employment, independent living and education.
Rehabilitation engineering may involve relatively simple observations of how individuals perform tasks, and making accommodations to eliminate further injuries and discomfort. On the other end of the spectrum, rehabilitation engineering includes sophisticated brain computer interfaces that allow a severely disabled individual to operate computers and other devices simply by thinking about the task they want to perform.
Rehabilitation engineers also improve upon standard rehabilitation methods to regain functions lost due to congenital disorders, disease (such as stroke or joint replacement) or injury (such as limb loss) to restore mobility.
Example:A TRAINEE rehabilitation engineer has been selected to help support competitors at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London.
Gary Cleall, an associate member of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine, has been chosen by Ottobock UK to provide track-side support to the athletes competing in the championships.
He is one of the 22-strong technical support team at the event, which is being held at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park between 14 and 23 July. Gary will join a team of orthotic and prosthetic professionals, welders, wheelchair technicians and support staff providing essential maintenance and repairs to equipment used by athletes. Gary will be concentrating on wheelchair repairs.
He is employed by King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and works in the Disablement Service Centre at the Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent.
Paul Dryer, Joint Head of Rehabilitation Engineering in the Rehabilitation Engineering Division in the Department of Medical Engineering & Physics at King's College Hospital, said:‘We’re delighted that one of our Rehabilitation Engineering team has been selected to take part in this initiative, supporting athletes to achieve their full potential.
‘This is a huge opportunity for Gary, his skills will be invaluable at this event and will give him additional experiences and skills when dealing with highly technical equipment to bring back to the workplace. We are very pleased to support his time at the games and are looking forward to hearing all about it on his return.’
Located behind the scenes at the London Stadium, the repair centre will be fully equipped with the machinery and parts to repair any problems athletes may have with their equipment.
Gary has worked in the prosthetic industry for more than 18 years. Via a course at Southbank University, he is now working towards gaining a degree in Mechanical Engineering as well as the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine Diploma in Rehabilitation Engineering.
Ottobock is a world-leading manufacturer and supplier of prosthetic limbs, orthotic supports and wheelchairs that facilitate independence. This will be the 37th time Ottobock have provided technical repair services at events, including 15 Paralympic Games, three Invictus Games, seven World Athletics Championships and the London 2012 Paralympic Games
Rehabilitation engineering is the use of engineering 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 related to employment, independent living and education.
Rehabilitation engineering may involve relatively simple observations of how individuals perform tasks, and making accommodations to eliminate further injuries and discomfort. On the other end of the spectrum, rehabilitation engineering includes sophisticated brain computer interfaces that allow a severely disabled individual to operate computers and other devices simply by thinking about the task they want to perform.
Rehabilitation engineers also improve upon standard rehabilitation methods to regain functions lost due to congenital disorders, disease (such as stroke or joint replacement) or injury (such as limb loss) to restore mobility.
Example:A TRAINEE rehabilitation engineer has been selected to help support competitors at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London.
Gary Cleall, an associate member of the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine, has been chosen by Ottobock UK to provide track-side support to the athletes competing in the championships.
He is one of the 22-strong technical support team at the event, which is being held at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park between 14 and 23 July. Gary will join a team of orthotic and prosthetic professionals, welders, wheelchair technicians and support staff providing essential maintenance and repairs to equipment used by athletes. Gary will be concentrating on wheelchair repairs.
He is employed by King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and works in the Disablement Service Centre at the Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham, Kent.
Paul Dryer, Joint Head of Rehabilitation Engineering in the Rehabilitation Engineering Division in the Department of Medical Engineering & Physics at King's College Hospital, said:‘We’re delighted that one of our Rehabilitation Engineering team has been selected to take part in this initiative, supporting athletes to achieve their full potential.
‘This is a huge opportunity for Gary, his skills will be invaluable at this event and will give him additional experiences and skills when dealing with highly technical equipment to bring back to the workplace. We are very pleased to support his time at the games and are looking forward to hearing all about it on his return.’
Located behind the scenes at the London Stadium, the repair centre will be fully equipped with the machinery and parts to repair any problems athletes may have with their equipment.
Gary has worked in the prosthetic industry for more than 18 years. Via a course at Southbank University, he is now working towards gaining a degree in Mechanical Engineering as well as the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine Diploma in Rehabilitation Engineering.
Ottobock is a world-leading manufacturer and supplier of prosthetic limbs, orthotic supports and wheelchairs that facilitate independence. This will be the 37th time Ottobock have provided technical repair services at events, including 15 Paralympic Games, three Invictus Games, seven World Athletics Championships and the London 2012 Paralympic Games
Rehabilitation Engineering
Rehabilitation Engineers are involved with the design, development and application of rehabilitative and assistive technology to assist persons with disabilities in achieving greater independence.
EXAMPLE. ..
Hillside High senior Desmond Jackson, 17, just returned from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where he was Team USA’s youngest male competitor in track and field at the Paralympic Games.
Jackson competed in the 100m and 200m sprints, as well as the long jump in the T42 category, which is for athletes with single above-the knee-amputation. Jackson, whose leg was amputated before his first birthday due to a birth defect, said, “It was a really great experience… a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”
As a child, Jackson tried out soccer, football, basketball, baseball, tennis, and even horseback riding, before finally settling on track and field.His mother, Deborah Jackson, worked in prosthetics when Jackson was a child and after seeing a picture of children with amputated legs running across a field with running blades, she said she made it her goal to make sure her son would receive a running blade as well.
As a child, Jackson tried out soccer, football, basketball, baseball, tennis, and even horseback riding, before finally settling on track and field.His mother, Deborah Jackson, worked in prosthetics when Jackson was a child and after seeing a picture of children with amputated legs running across a field with running blades, she said she made it her goal to make sure her son would receive a running blade as well
After contacting her, the CAF invited her and her son to the Best Triathlon in San Diego where he received a running blade and competed in a children’s event called the fun run.
For his part, Jackson says he wants to bring awareness to the Paralympics and other adaptive events in the U.S., where the level of awareness surrounding adaptive sports isn’t on par with that of some Eropean countries
His coach, Jamaal Daniels, agrees. “I don’t see there are challenges for him. This is regular. He doesn’t have a disability.”
Jackson said his coach tries to make balancing training, school and being a regular teenager as easy as possible for him.Prior to the Paralympics, Jackson was training twice a day. For now, however, they have cut training to once a day, getting in both weight training and track workouts in the evenings. But training isn’t the only extracurricular activity the world-class athlete has to balance. On Friday, he returned from a trip to Washington D.C. where he met President Obama.
Jackson said his coach tries to make balancing training, school and being a regular teenager as easy as possible for him.Prior to the Paralympics, Jackson was training twice a day.
As for his athletic ability, Daniels said, “He realizes he can compete with anyone. But he needs to mature a little. He understands he has a few mountains to climb, because he hasn’t experienced competing consistently.”
But Jackson is not slowing down anytime soon. On Oct. 20, he will attend the San Diego Triathlon Challenge in San Diego, California, where he will receive the Rising Star award. The Rising Star award is presented every year at the San Diego Triathlon Challenge to a “CAF athlete who has demonstrated extraordinary amounts of strength, resilience and guidance,” according to the Challenged Athlete’s Foundation’s website. Jackson says he plans to continue training and has his sights set on the the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.
REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
Rehabilitation engineering is the use of engineering principles to provide technology solutions to problems confronted by people with disabilities.
For most of us, technology makes things easier. For people with disabilities, technology makes things possible. Rehabilitation engineers use devices and other materials to increase the functional capabilities of someone with a disability. Rehabilitation engineers can use technology to improve mobility, written and verbal communication, hearing, vision, independent living, educational access, recreational access, and tasks associated with employment, among many others. Technology that is used to help increase functional capabilities is often called assistive technology.
PARALYMPIC
A series of international contests for athletes with disabilities that are associated with and held following the summer and winter Olympic Games. The word “Paralympic” derives from the Greek preposition “para” (beside or alongside) and the word “Olympic”. Its meaning is that Paralympics are the parallel Games to the Olympics and illustrates how the two movements exist side-by-side.
EXAMPLE
Goalball is a team sport designed specifically for athletes with a vision impairment. Participants compete in teams of three, and try to throw a ball that has bells embedded in it into the opponents' goal.[1] The ball is thrown by hand and never kicked. Using ear-hand coordination, originating as a rehabilitation exercise, the sport has no able-bodied equivalent. Able-bodied athletes are also blindfolded when playing this sport.
The Swedish goalball team at the 2004 Athens Paralympic games
Played indoors, usually on a volleyball court, games consist of twelve-minute halves (formerly ten-minute halves).[1] Teams alternate throwing or rolling the ball from one end of the playing area to the other, and players remain in the area of their own goal in both defence and attack. Players must use the sound of the bell to judge the position and movement of the ball. Eyeshades allow partially-sighted players to compete on an equal footing with blind players.[1] Eyepatches may be worn under eyeshades to ensure complete coverage of the eye, and prevent any vision should the eyeshades become dislodged.
The International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), founded in 1981 and responsible for a range of sports for the blind and partially sighted, is the official governing body for the sport.
Paralympic:
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics are a periodic series of international multi-sport events involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscle power (e.g. paraplegia and muscular dystrophy, post-polio syndrome, spina bifida),
Paralympic meaning :
The word “Paralympic” derives from the Greek preposition “para” (beside or alongside) and the word “Olympic”. Its meaning is that Paralympics are the parallel Games to the Olympics and illustrates how the two movements exist side-by-side.
What is rehabilitation engineering?
Rehabilitation engineering is the use of engineering principles to ,
1) develop technological solutions and devices to assist individuals with disabilities
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 related to employment, independent living and education.
Rehabilitation engineering may involve relatively simple observations of how individuals perform tasks, and making accommodations to eliminate further injuries and discomfort. On the other end of the spectrum, rehabilitation engineering includes sophisticated brain computer interfaces that allow a severely disabled individual to operate computers and other devices simply by thinking about the task they want to perform.
Example:
Rehabilitation engineers also improve upon standard rehabilitation methods to regain functions lost due to congenital disorders, disease (such as stroke or joint replacement) or injury (such as limb loss) to restore mobility.
REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
Rehabilitation engineering is the use of engineering 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.
Science and technology has become an increasingly important element of sporting competition.
PARALYMPICS:
People of all abilities can participate in some form of meaningful movement as part of a healthy lifestyle. The games take place every four years in the same city as the Olympics and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). They include athletes of all nationalities and varying abilities. The IPC defines para-athletes as any person who’s impairment impacts their sports participation.
EXAMPLE
Powerlifting is one of the Paralympic Movement’s fastest growing sports in terms of participants and is now practiced in nearly 100 countries.
The sport represents the ultimate test of upper body strength with athletes competing in the bench press discipline.
Competitors must lower the bar to their chest, hold it motionless on the chest and then press it upwards to arms-length with locked elbows. Athletes are given three attempts and the winner is the athlete who lifts the highest number of kilograms.
Such is the strength of athletes competing in this sport, that it is not uncommon to see a competitor lift more than three times their own body weight
REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
Rehabilitation technology (RT) cuts barriers and gives more opportunities to people with disabilities in education, rehabilitation, employment, transportation, living at home, and recreation. Assistive technology (AT) includes devices, aides, and enhancements used in rehabilitation technology. People with severe mobility, learning, emotional, visual, hearing, neurological, neuromuscular, and other disabilities may benefit from rehabilitation technology to increase function by decreasing barriers in the home and workplace.
PARALYMPIC A series of international contests for athletes with disabilities that are associated with and held following the summer and winter Olympic Games. The word “Paralympic” derives from the Greek preposition “para” (beside or alongside) and the word “Olympic”. Its meaning is that Paralympics are the parallel Games to the Olympics and illustrates how the two movements exist side-by-side
New Zealand has had an extremely strong representation of Para cyclists on the world stage, including the multiple world champion visually impaired Para cyclist Emma Foy. Along with her sighted pilot Hannah van Kampen, they are the current world title holders in the individual pursuit and road race. Emma has also won multiple medals at other World Championship and World Cup events in both road and track events.
REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
Rehabilitation engineering may involve relatively simple observations of how individuals perform tasks, and making accommodations to eliminate further injuries and discomfort. On the other end of the spectrum, rehabilitation engineering includes sophisticated brain computer interfaces that allow a severely disabled individual to operate computers and other devices simply by thinking about the task they want to perform.
PARALYMPICS
At the start, 16 countries were affiliated to and the organisation pushed very hard to include blind and amputee athletes into the Toronto 1976 Paralympics and athletes with cerebral palsy in 1980 in Arnhem. Its aim was to embrace all impairments in the future and to act as a Co-coordinating Committee. Nevertheless, other disability-orientated international organisations such as the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association and International Blind Sports Federation were founded in 1978 and 1980.
EXAMPLE:
Para swimming for men and women has been a part of the Paralympic program since the first Games in 1960 in Rome, Italy. Today, the races are highly competitive and among the largest and most popular events in the Paralympic Games. Paralympic swimming competitions occur in 50-meter pools and, while competing, no prostheses or assistive devices may be worn.
Paralympic swimming competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as dwarfism, amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users, cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke, cognitive impairment, and Les autres.
World Para Swimming, under the governance of the International Paralympic Committee, acts as the international federation for the sport and is based in Bonn, Germany. Competition opportunities include the Paralympic Games every four years, biennial World Championships, and biennial or quadrennial regional Championships. The World Series, featuring a number of swim meets around the world, was launched in 2017 to provide greater classification opportunities and top-level competition opportunities for athletes.
Science and technology has become an increasingly important element of sporting competition. From the detailed monitoring of training programs to the ergonomic design of football boots, most sportsmen and women owe their achievements, at least in part, to the work of sports scientists and engineers. The last decade or so has seen a rapid rate of development in the field of sports science. University laboratories have been a hive of activity, working to shave mere hundredths of a second off an athlete’s time or deliver a fraction more spin when bowling a ball. The tolerances involved are minute, and yet in the world of elite sport it could mean the difference between first and last place.
Nowhere is this synergy between man and technology more prevalent than in the Paralympic community. Since the games began in 1948 at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, engineering has been paramount to those participating in what has become an integral part of the Olympic legacy. Improvements in Paralympic equipment have been rapid over the years, whether it is the design of a wheelchair or the materials used to reduce the weight of prosthetics, engineers have increasingly pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable. This is a trend that looks set to grow exponentially as advances in nanotechnology, 3D printing and biomedical engineering open whole new windows of opportunity.
Paralympic Games, major international sports competition for athletes with disabilities.
The second world war was devastating for humanity, not just in the number of those killed but also in the number of people who sustained injuries resulting in lifelong disability.
The Paralympic games are a direct result of those incurring spinal injuries during the second world war and the improved medical efforts that resulted in much higher survival rates and longer life expectancy.
This also meant there was a greater need for rehabilitation.
Rehabilitation Engineering is the application of science and technology to improving the quality of life of people with disabilities.
It is the process of restore or helping an individual achieve the highest level of individual and quality of life possible physically, emotionally and socially.
The purpose of the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center (RERC) program is to improve the effectiveness of services authorized under the Rehabilitation Act by conducting advanced engineering and development of innovative technologies designed to solve particular rehabilitation problems or remove environmental barriers.
Play and leisure activities are much more interest driven than other human occupations.
The human need for recreation is especially important in the presence of physical, sensory, or cognitive impairment that affects the ability to function in everyday activities and environments.
Recreation allows humans lo challenge their physical limits in a setting that accepts a new participant as a novice, provides instruction and emotional support for learning and by its nature implies social participation and the promise of fun and escape from the realities of everyday life.
Persons with congenital disability see it as a way to experiment and develop new and socially valued skills and abilities with the hep of rehabilitation.
The "Cybathlon" is an international Olympics-style event for bionic athletes.
The championship is popularly known as "Bionic Olympics", it differs from the Paralympics as it sees participants compete against each other using the latest assistive technologies such as robotic prostheses, brain-computer interfaces and powered exoskeletons.
It’s essentially a bionic version of the Olympics. But while the Paralympics focuses on outstanding athleticism, the Cybathlon will highlight novel robotic assistive devices that can help people with physical disabilities cope with everyday life.
The competition’s goal is to fuel the development of technologies to improve the day-to-day lives of those living with disabilities.
Cybathlon brings together the best of prosthetic technology from around the world with innovative ideas enabling us to be more independent and productive, making it a competition against companies and research labs too.
Kevin Warwick of the United Kingdom can boast being the first cyborg in the history of humanity.
The 62-year-old professor at Reading University's Department of Cybernetics is a world renowned expert in robotics, bioethics and, most recently, artificial intelligence.
His work and research in the development of interactions between humans and machines have been carried out in collaboration with prestigious universities (MIT, Harvard, Stanford), robotic laboratories and institutions developing these technologies.
His research involves looking at ways of applying these technologies in the biomedical field.
Since the late 1990s, Professor Warwick has played the role of guinea pig for scientific research by implanting in his body electronic components allowing him to interact with computers and robots.
The contemporary Frankenstein enhanced his body in this way for the first time in 1998, inserting an RFID chip into the elbow of his left arm.
With this chip, Professor Warwick was able to use remote control to open and close the doors of his laboratory.
He lived as a cyborg for just nine days. In 2002, the scientist entered brain territory with his project entitled 'The Brain Gate', whereby a neural interface designed by Dr Mark Gasson was implanted in his nervous system.
This groundbreaking experiment lasted three months. The technology enabled him to take remote control of a robotic hand, using any standard wi-fi network to connect to it, from any geographical location.
At a conference at the University of Bogota, Professor Warwick demonstrated his powers to the audience, who were able to see the nervous system of the professor displayed on a computer screen.
They watched as live from Colombia he took control of the bionic hand back in the UK, in Reading.
REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
Rehabilitation engineering may involve relatively simple observations of how individuals perform tasks, and making accommodations to eliminate further injuries and discomfort. On the other end of the spectrum, rehabilitation engineering includes sophisticated brain computer interfaces that allow a severely disabled individual to operate computers and other devices simply by thinking about the task they want to perform.
PARALYMPICS
At the start, 16 countries were affiliated to and the organisation pushed very hard to include blind and amputee athletes into the Toronto 1976 Paralympics and athletes with cerebral palsy in 1980 in Arnhem. Its aim was to embrace all impairments in the future and to act as a Co-coordinating Committee. Nevertheless, other disability-orientated international organisations such as the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association and International Blind Sports Federation were founded in 1978 and 1980.
The Paralympics developed after sir Ludwig organized a sports competition for British world War II veterans with spinal cord injuries in England in 1948. A follow-up competition took place in 1952, with athletes from the Netherlands joining the British competitors.
EXAMPLE
Athletics is a combination of track and field events for both men and women, of all impairment groups. Played by both individuals and teams, athletics has been at the Paralympic games right from the start, which was during 1960 in Rome. Within the next 20 years, after the athletics debut at the Paralympic games, more and more impairment groups were added. Today, disabled athletes in over 120 countries compete in athletics, making it the number one most practiced Paralympic sport.
There are a range of track events at the Paralympics such as sprints, middle and long distance races, relay races. Then there are the field events which are the high jump, long jump, triple jump, discus throw, shot put and javelin. Not to forget the single road event which is the marathon race, and the combination of events known as the pentathlon.
In track events, the athlete that completes the event in the fastest time wins. But, in field events the winner is not always the athlete who throws the specified item furthest. Each event will take into account the extent of an athlete’s impairment and their distance thrown. They get points for this total, and the winner is the athlete with the most points.
There are several different classifications and groups in which athletes compete that are based on their disability. Each disability has a different classification which determines the class the athletes will compete in. Nearly every opportunity that is available to non-disabled athletes are available in the Paralympics.
In the first edition of the Summer Paralympic Games in 1960, Italy finished the sport in the first place of the medal table, between 1964 to 1996 there was a clear dominance of the United States, being broken for the first time only in 2000, when Australia dominated the sport at home and since 2004 this dominance has been china.
REHABILITATION ENGINEERING
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 related to employment, independent living and education.
PARALYMPIC
A series of international contests for athletes with disabilities that are associated with and held following the summer and winter Olympic Games. The word “Paralympic” derives from the Greek preposition “para” (beside or alongside) and the word “Olympic”. Its meaning is that Paralympics are the parallel Games to the Olympics and illustrates how the two movements exist side-by-side.
EXAMPLE
The students designed a chair for Stawski, who has cerebral palsy, to use while participating in Paralympic track-and-field events. She first used the chair during the Paralympics International Challenge in Orlando on May 4, and received the silver medal in the discus throw.
"The field chair has allowed me to compete at a new level, and it's only going to get better," said Stawski, who hopes to travel to France for the Paralympics World Championships in July.
The chair was one of several student-created assistive devices for disabled people featured at a May 7 presentation at the Lifsey House. USF students enrolled in the senior-level design course also created a spin-art machine, adjustable desk, water ski and collapsible scooter.
This year is the first time the students had to build an assistive device for someone in the community with a specific need, said Glen Besterfield, a mechanical engineering professor who teaches the course. The work was done in collaboration with the College of Engineering's Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology Program, a state-wide project that aims to develop integrated rehab-technology systems to increase the independence and employment of people with disabilities.
"For most of us, technology makes things easier," said Rajiv Dubey, Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology Program director and Mechanical Engineering Department chairperson. "For people with disabilities, technology makes things possible."
The spin-art machine developed by the USF students makes it possible for Lucy Aponte, who has cerebral palsy, to experience the joy of creative expression.
"Assistive technology and engineering allows people with disabilities to have a productive and meaningful life," said Lucy's mother, Berthy De La Rosa-Aponte. "Many of them live in poverty and to overcome that, they need economic self-sufficiency, and they can't have that without assistive technology."
Rehabilitation Engineering:
Rehabilitation engineering is the use of engineering principles to provide technology solutions to problems confronted by people with disabilities.
For most of us, technology makes things easier. For people with disabilities, technology makes things possible. Rehabilitation engineers use devices and other materials to increase the functional capabilities of someone with a disability. Rehabilitation engineers can use technology to improve mobility, written and verbal communication, hearing, vision, independent living, educational access, recreational access, and tasks associated with employment, among many others. Technology that is used to help increase functional capabilities is often called assistive technology.
Paralympic:
The Paralympic Games or Paralympics are a periodic series of international multi sport event involving athletes with a range of disabilities, including impaired muscles.
Example:
Throwing chair; Paralympic athletics include four throwing sports: shot put, discus, club throw and javelin .While both ambulatory and seated athletes participate in all throws, this focuses on the seated thrower or classifications F31-34 and F51-58. There are few
regulations on the frames used for seated throwing and several styles of frame designs have proliferated (Hellwig, 2010). Previous literature on throwing events for athletes with disabilities has mainly focused on the biomechanics of the throwing (Chung, 2003). current throwing chair designs are: difficult to secure to the ground, provide little support of for the legs and feet, have few adjustable features, are easy to misalign with the sector when securing to the ground, and can be difficult to transfer from and back to the athletes’ wheelchair. Recent efforts at the Human Engineering Research Laboratories have led to the creation of a highly adjustable throwing chair design that addresses these shortcomings (Chung, 2010).The adaptive sport continues to break down social, conceptual, and physical barriers through the advancement of technology, and the competitive spirit. Consideration should always be given to proper equipment selection, maintenance, and fitting in order to maximize functional capacity, improve performance and prevent injury (Faupin, 2004). Further to
Performance enhancement by identifying ways to optimize training and provide sound coaching at all levels. add that, improving equipment design to provide superior strength whilst decreasing weight and increasing maneuverability, and Providing protection from repetitive trauma which could lead to pressure sores and various other injuries.
PARALYMPICS:
People of all abilities can participate in some form of meaningful movement as part of a healthy lifestyle. The games take place every four years in the same city as the Olympics and are governed by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC). They include athletes of all nationalities and varying abilities. The IPC defines para-athletes as any person who’s impairment impacts their sports participation.
ROLE OF REHABILITATION ENGINEERING:
Science and technology has become an increasingly important element of sporting competition. From the detailed monitoring of training programs to the ergonomic design of football boots, most sportsmen and women owe their achievements, at least in part, to the work of sports scientists and engineers. Nowhere is this synergy between man and technology more prevalent than in the Paralympic community. Since the games began in 1948 at the Stoke Mandeville Hospital in Aylesbury, engineering has been paramount to those participating in what has become an integral part of the Olympic legacy.
Improvements in Paralympic equipment have been rapid over the years, whether it is the design of a wheelchair or the materials used to reduce the weight of prosthetics, engineers have increasingly pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable. This is a trend that looks set to grow exponentially as advances in nanotechnology, 3D printing and biomedical engineering open whole new windows of opportunity.
EXAMPLE:
The most iconic prothesis is the Flex-Foot Cheetah, used by 90 per cent of Paralympic runners at London 2012. Inspired by the hind legs of a cheetah, the blade of carbon fibre works by storing and releasing energy as the wearer propels forward. Its J-shaped design compresses on impact, storing energy for the next leap and absorbing stress that would otherwise be transferred to the athlete’s knee, hip and lower back. The prosthetics are custom-made for individual athletes. Attached the image of Flex-Foot Cheetah.
Definitely, Rehabilitation Engineering played a great role as supportive system for disabled athletes.
Rehabilitation engineering is the use of engineering 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.
Science and technology has become an increasingly important element of sporting competition.
EXAMPLE : Wheelchair Basketball- Wheelchair basketball is played by people with different level of physical disabilities that prevents running, jumping and pivoting. Riding on a wheelchair, a game of basketball is played among two teams of five players each. World War II veterans originally developed the sport in 1945 as part of rehabilitation in the USA. Since then it has grown worldwide and was introduced at the Rome 1960 Paralympic Games. Today, the sport is practised in nearly 100 countries.
Improvements in Paralympic equipment have been rapid over the years, whether it is the design of a wheelchair or the materials used to reduce the weight of prosthetics, engineers have increasingly pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable. This is a trend that looks set to grow exponentially as advances in nanotechnology, 3D printing and biomedical engineering open whole new windows of opportunity.
Yet as the Paralympics embrace innovation, some quarters of the sporting community have raised concerns about the introduction of performance-enhancing systems. Coining the term ‘technology doping’, their argument is based on the principle that engineering should help to provide a level playing field in sport rather than create an unfair advantage. After all, they claim, sport is about athletic ability over and above anything else.
Rehabilitation Engineering is the practice of designing and building devices to aid and assist individuals with various impairments like mobility, communication, vision, hearing and even cognition in order to let them live their daily lives in a normal way.
It concentrates on observing the tasks performed by the impaired individuals in their daily activities and make accommodations to eliminate any discomfort or injuries. Rehabilitation engineers try to improve the quality and standard of already existing rehabilitation methods t regain the lost functionality of any body part due to injury, disease or congenital disorders.
It s of many types to aid individuals according to their comfort and mode of cure like physical prosthetics, robotic rehabilitation, sensory prosthetics, brain computer interference and even virtual rehabilitation.
In physical prosthetics, artificial legs with powered ankles, limbs and even exoskeletons are used in order to mimic natural limb movement and uses. Robotics act as assistive agents to aid mobility training for people with impairment after paralysis. Sensory prosthetics are used in retinal and cochlear implants to restore the lost function which is very much necessary for balance, navigation and integration. Brain computer interference is the use of technology to capture brain impulses and allow individuals to communicate using computer cursor or robotic arm. Virtual rehabilitation uses virtual reality simulation exercises for physical and cognitive rehabilitation. It can be performed by doctors via internet via tele-rehabilitation.
Example: RESTOREMENT OF MUSCLE CONTROL: People with spinal cord injuries have limited or no ability to control muscle groups below Site of injury. This requires assistive mobility like crutches, wheelchairs or powered wheelchairs and a part or full time caretaker support. Hence after great research, they found out a fully implantable system that uses a sensor to measure voluntary muscle contractions above injury which in turn sends electrical signals to trigger muscle activity below the injury which helps the people to stand, stepping, cycling and even hand grasping. In conjunction with physical therapy, this electrical stimulus can be used to train the central nervous system to enhance the function of remaining neurons at the site of injury. This is a completely non-invasive method that has helped in many ways. It is also designed to reduce pain, alter neural activity in spine to restore control of standing and stepping patients
Hence, "Rehabilitation engineering" is the systematic application of engineering sciences to design, develop, adapt, test, evaluate, apply, and distribute technological solutions to problems confronted by individuals with disabilities.