Via Patrick McGurrin
The second annual Rehabilitation Robotics Workshop, hosted by the Fulton School of Engineering at Arizona State University, went above and beyond that of the previous year. The conference, a two-day gathering of renowned roboticists, neuroscientists, and rehabilitation specialists, facilitated discussion of ongoing issues related to research in rehabilitation and sensorimotor function. Neuroprosthetics were of particular interest at the conference because of their potential for 1) helping to restore function to a paralytic limb and 2) designing an artificial limb with high functional capability. This field is of particular interest to rehabilitation technology in that these novel designs are implementing an interface capable of integration with the user’s own central nervous system, making it possible for users to have more natural control of the device with decreased cognitive load, more precise level of control, and most importantly, a reinstatement of sensory information in the affected limb. The conference, as a whole, celebrated current advancements in robotics and neuroprosthetics while shedding light on key current issues. Having attended both years, it was remarkable to see the progress of a single year.