Assistive Technology Research Center

摘要

The Assistive Technology Research Center, ATRC, is comprised of a set of interrelated research and development projects which apply modern technologies, in particular those which have been exploited in the military, to the practice of medical rehabilitation and technological support for independent living for individuals with disabilities. The Center seeks to work collaboratively to meet the particular mandates of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command. Projects are physically conducted and administratively located in the departments of rehabilitation engineering and neuroscience at the National Rehabilitation Hospital. Individual researchers from several other hospital services and clinical professions are also involved. The ATRC takes advantage of a unusual combination of skills, facilities, and interest; specifically a strong community of r&d specialists in biomedical engineering and neuropsychology is positioned to undertake collaborative projects unlike those under way at more conventional staffed laboratories. The projects whose progress is detailed in this report target the needs of individuals with head injury, stroke, spinal cord injury and developmental disabilities. These activities address the clinical techniques of psychologists, occupational, and physical therapist, physicians and speech pathologists. The make use of technologies based particularly in software development but also in man-machine systems, human factors, biomechanics, telehealth, virtual reality methods, and instrumentation. Assessment and enhancement of motor and cognitive function; and support and measurement of functional performance are the prevailing research themes.