Assistive technology
Self-care and improved mobility
Underwater vehicles, robot hands, hybrid rocket motors… it all sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, but these are all devices crafted by students at the Schulich School of Engineering School at the University of Calgary.
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Skill transfer between body parts reflects plasticity of brain’s organization, researchers say. Training at tasks with your hands stimulates the areas of the motor cortex that controls your feet. Pexels Photo Rachel Butch, Johns
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It’s a valid question, and the answer is an optimistic one. But to get to the answer, we have to understand the past, present and future of power chairs. B500 Power Wheelchair. Otto Bock By Mark E. Smith, New Mobility April 1, 2017
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Frank Dippel likes to ride a bike, and when he drives, it’s far and fast. With his daughter Rabea, the two cycle in the Chiemgau or go by bike to Städtetour. Rabea, two years with her Pino. Frank Dippel Translated from Mein
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There are no significant differences in gait or gross mobility between hinged and solid ankle-foot orthoses for patients with cerebral palsy who could walk without an assistive device, according to a study presented at the Association
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They are focusing on what makes them similar. A student at Bert Church High School in Airdrie AB, participates in the Unified Sports program on Thursday. Justin Pennell CBC By David Bell with Justin Pennell, CBC News March 16, 2017
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The University of Michigan, Altair Engineering and Stratasys have teamed up to create the CYBER Team, a group dedicated to creating better ankle foot orthotics (AFOs). Kyle Maxey, Engineering.com March 02, 2016 The traditional process
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Adjusting the mechanical properties, alignment, plantar flexion and dorsiflexion resistance of a novel ankle-foot orthosis improved hemiparetic gait in a patient with stroke, according to data presented at the American Academy of
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Decisions related to the stiffness of an ankle foot orthosis (AFO)—whether they involve device design or the materials from which it’s fabricated—can help lower extremity clinicians customize stability, biomechanics, and muscle
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Enjoy the use of a custom-fit bike for $75. Trix youth wheels. Hase Come out and try a bike! Register for the 2017 Adapted Bike Program in Calgary. We will have specialists on hand experienced in fitting your child with an adaptive
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Researchers at the University of Granada warn that 23 percent of the girls carry a load over 20 percent of their body weight in their backpack or trolley — well above what is recommended. Backpack or Suitcase? The Travel Hack
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Mark Pickup is a gifted writer who chooses words thoughtfully, methodically and philosophically. So it’s no big surprise to hear the phrase he used to describe his experience last week. I have been disabled with aggressive multiple
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‘The hardest hit people would have been the working poor or people who are struggling to get by.’ Alberta Health Services has backed away from planned changes that would have restricted physiotherapy services now covered.
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Navigating the U.S. health care system can be frustrating for anyone, but for adults with chronic medical conditions, the frustration can become overwhelming as they juggle multiple providers, medications and treatments. A pain point
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The province’s largest public sector union has some concerns about an anticipated move by the government to outsource the Aids to Daily Living program. Alberta Aids to Daily Living, AADL helps Albertans with a long-term disability,
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Open Style Lab’s ten-week interdisciplinary research program teams designers, engineers, and occupational therapists to create wearable solutions with and for clients with disabilities. Open Style Lab 2016 fellows and clients. New
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The Falls Risk Assessment Toolkit identifies patients at risk of falls and, potentially unplanned hospital admissions, and is available to all UK healthcare professionals to implement a review of patients at risk of potentially
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A suite of online interventions provided substantial pain relief and improved mobility for patients with chronic knee pain, according to a study published online February 21 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The interventions
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Stanford University School of Medicine Clinical research led by Stanford University investigators has demonstrated that a brain-to-computer hookup can enable people with paralysis to type via direct brain control at the highest speeds
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GazeSpeak runs on a smartphone and uses artificial intelligence to convert eye movements into speech, so a conversation partner can understand what is being said in real time. The eyes say it all. GazeSpeak, Enable Team, Microsoft
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For all the talk of self-driving vehicles revolutionizing transportation, the technology promises to do even more for the elderly and disabled by allowing them to enjoy sustained independence. Autonomous vehicles will allow aging Baby
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The OrbIT controller was custom designed to help children with cerebral palsy. David Hobbs photo. Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common childhood physical disability, affecting more than 34,000 Australians, and more than 17 million
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Carmel Majidi and Jonathan Malen of Carnegie Mellon University have developed a thermally conductive rubber material that represents a breakthrough for creating soft, stretchable machines and electronics. The findings were published
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Very little in life slows Jillian Peters down. If you catch her in a hallway, the spunky seven-year-old is likely to race you in her hot-pink wheelchair. Cerebral palsy doesn’t define her. Video games are helping children with
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Researchers at the University of Michigan (UM) are implementing a new orthotics and prosthetics outfitting system: 3D printed assistive devices that will be customized to individual patients’ needs and reach them faster than ever
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It all started when I was in rehab dealing with a particularly insensitive sales rep from a major mobility company who seemed far more concerned with an upcoming Hawaiian vacation than properly outfitting me with my first wheelchair.
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Helping patients manage an orthotic device can be challenging, but doing so in the face of uneven terrain is a balancing act between stability, mobility, and strength. Device adjustments and rehabilitation protocols can help
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I should have put his socks back on. The thought kept nagging me as I finished my clinic notes, replaying the afternoon in my head. My final patient of the day — a man with dementia — was a late addition to the schedule, after his
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For those with severe motor disabilities, mind-controlled prostheses have long offered a sliver of hope that they might one day be able to regain some semblance of autonomy. The Teleport uses a simple off-the-shelf brain control
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Product design consultancy Renfrew Group, in partnership with the NHS unveiled the innovative modular children’s wheelchair ‘Chair 4 Life’ system designed to address the unmet needs of disabled children at the
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