People with intellectual disability are twice as likely to die a preventable death

NSW: The deaths of more than 700 Australian adults with an intellectual disability could have been avoided with more appropriate health care and monitoring, a UNSW study has revealed. A total of 732 Australian adults with an intellectual disability died in NSW over six years, many from causes or conditions that could have been avoided with more appropriate health care and monitoring. That is the conclusion of the largest study ever conducted in Australia of the cause of death for adults with an intellectual disability (ID). The study, conducted by researchers at UNSW, found potentially avoidable deaths at over twice the rate of the general population.

Disabled people pilot a robot remotely with their thoughts

Lausanne: Using a telepresence system developed at EPFL, 19 people – including nine quadriplegics – were able to remotely control a robot located in one of the university laboratories. This multi-year research project aims to give a measure of independence to paralysed people. This technology has shown that it works well and is easy to use.

Advanced material for prosthetic limbs scheduled for launch to Space Station

Princeton: Lenore Rasmussen's dream of developing a synthetic muscle that could be used to make better prosthetic limbs and more responsive robots will literally become airborne at 4:33 p.m. on Monday, April 13, when her experiment will rocket off to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral in Florida. Rasmussen, a synthetic polymer chemist and founder of Ras Labs, has worked closely with researchers and engineers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) to develop the material's ability to adhere to metal. The Synthetic Muscle™ could be used in robotics in deep space travel such as travel to Mars because of its radiation resistance. "Based on the good results we had on planet Earth, the next step is to see how it behaves in a space environment," said Charles Gentile, a PPPL engineering and scientific staff member who has worked closely with Rasmussen. "From there the next step might be to use it on a mission to Mars."

Children with disabilities can make competent witnesses

Victoria: A study challenges the view that children with intellectual disabilities cannot accurately describe their experiences. The research found that children with mild levels of intellectual disability can provide eyewitnesses testimony in court cases as capably as typically developing children of the same developmental level or mental age, especially if they are interviewed soon after the event. Children with intellectual disabilities—significantly low cognitive functioning coupled with significant deficits in adaptive or everyday functioning—make up two to three percent of the population and it is estimated that one in three children with disabilities experiences some form of maltreatment.

Australian program helps children with disabilities

Queensland: A study by US researchers published in the journal Research in Developmental Disabilities has found that parenting programs, particularly UQ’s Stepping Stones Triple P program, were likely to reduce aggression, noncompliance and defiance in children with developmental disabilities, such as autism and learning disabilities. Professor Matt Sanders said the study’s findings were important as children with developmental disabilities were much more likely than typically developing children to develop aggressive or disruptive behaviour.

Video game helps people with prostheses (video)

Groningen: University movement scientists and UMCG rehab specialists are developing an opening and closing exercise using a computer game. Opening a hand prosthesis can be regulated precisely. However, it does require good user control. And that takes practice. A computer game can be useful for that.

  

Bionic reconstruction replaces useless hands

Vienna University. Austria: The leading medical journal, "The Lancet", has just published a study by Oskar Aszmann. In this study, Aszmann describes the bionic reconstruction technique he has developed at the MedUni Vienna. Complex neuromuscular procedures are performed to create a biotechnology interface that gives patients mechatronic hand functions. Patients can subsequently get on with their lives with two hands again.

People with disabilities experience unrecognized health disparities, new research shows

Oregon University. US: People with disabilities have unmet medical needs and poorer overall health throughout their lives, and as a result should be recognized as a health disparity group so more attention can be directed to improving their quality of life, a team of policy researchers has found.

A clearer picture: Predicting disability and death after the ICU

Yale University. US: A growing number of older adults are surviving visits to hospital intensive care units (ICUs), but many emerge with disabilities such as impaired walking and poor overall function. A new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers shows that the level of disability the year before an ICU visit can predict post-ICU disability and death.

Pitt Team Developing Technology to Allow Amputees to Feel with Prosthetic Limb, Improving Its Function

Pittsburgh University. US: Rehabilitation experts at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine hope to one day give people with an arm amputation a prosthetic limb that not only moves like a natural one, but “feels” like it, too. They expect such sensation will improve dexterous control of the device and give users greater intuition about what they are doing with their prosthetic.

Equipment library would help ill and the elderly

Canterbury University. New-Zealand: A University of Canterbury student has come up with a novel library-style scheme to help sustain quality of life for people who are disabled, ill or need end-of-life care.

Researchers Determine How the Brain Controls Robotic Grasping Tools

Missouri University. US: Grasping an object involves a complex network of brain functions. First, visual cues are processed in specialized areas of the brain. Then, other areas of the brain use these signals to control the hands to reach for and manipulate the desired object. New findings from researchers at the University of Missouri suggest that the cerebellum, a region of the brain that has changed very little over time, may play a critical role. Findings could lead to advancements in assistive technologies benefiting the disabled.

Artificial limb rehabilitation for older people with a leg amputated at or above the knee because of blood circulation problems

Cochrane: Problems with inadequate circulation in the legs (dysvascularity), particularly in people over the age of 60 years, can be so severe that they need a leg amputated. This may be as high as at or above the knee. Accompanying medical conditions (co-morbidities) such as diabetes, cardiovascular or heart disease can affect a person's rehabilitation. When an above or through knee artificial limb (prosthesis) is fitted, it is hard to regain mobility and function and some people choose to use a wheelchair.

Robots can assist people with disabilities

NIH: Robots interact with patients to help in rehabilitation and movement. New research in robotics might help with stroke rehabilitation, guide wheelchairs, and assist children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
This is the third year NIH has participated in the Interagency National Robotics Initiative (NRI) to support research to develop innovative co-robots — robots that work cooperatively with people. Other participants are the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Funding for these projects totals approximately $2.3 million over the next five years, subject to the availability of funds.
“Technology is becoming more and more adaptable in all areas of our life, from GPS in cars to speech recognition technology on smart phones,” said Grace Peng, Ph.D., program director of Rehabilitation Engineering at the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). “With these awards, we hope to encourage robotics researchers to think of new ways to apply their technology in the realm of health care.”

• Wearable exoskeletons to induce recovery of function
  
  Recovering limb movement after a stroke can be difficult and frustrating for patients. Research suggests that repeatedly using the affected arm in goal-directed, purposeful movements after a stroke can help promote recovery. This kind of movement is most successful when supervised by therapists. This project hopes to extend therapy into the home by providing patients with a lightweight robotic exoskeleton that can be placed on an affected arm and provide the kind of therapeutic guidance found at a rehabilitation center.
  
  Richard Brent Gillespie, Ph.D., University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
  
  Funded by NIBIB, EB019834
• A computer vision-based active learning co-robot wheelchair
  
  This project hopes to provide a solution for elderly and disabled patients who have limited hand functionality and who rely on wheelchairs for mobility. Researchers hope to create a system and chair that can be controlled by the user’s head movements and will adapt to the individual user. A camera placed on glasses worn by the user can capture head movements designed to control the chair as well as adapt to individual users by gaining information as  the patient responds to various situations in natural ways (such as turning their head as their attention shifts). The hope is that the robotic wheelchair will be able to operate almost completely autonomously and only ask for human control on an as-needed basis — learning from the human controls so as to reduce the necessity for human participation in the future.
  
  Gang Hua, Ph.D., Stevens Institute of Technology, Hoboken, New Jersey
  
  Funded by the National Institute of Nursing Research, NR015371
• Music-based interactive robotic orchestration for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
  
  Many new technologies for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been developed and demonstrated the possibilities of robotic applications in therapy, but most rely on speech interaction and task-based scenarios. To more effectively stimulate the various emotional and social interactivities of children with ASD, researchers need to take further steps to incorporate multiple types of stimuli. Recent studies have shown improvements in social skills among children with autism who were encouraged to improvise with musical instruments or song. This project aims to develop a music-based system that will help children with ASD interact with a robotic companion in a safe and natural manner. The results of this study have the potential to help develop innovative interventions for ASD.
  
  Chung Hyuk Park, Ph.D., New York Institute of Technology, New York City
  
  Funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shiver National Institute of Child Health and Development, HD082914

The funding opportunity announcement (FOA) for NRI funding in 2015 was announced in Oct. 16, 2014 and NIH is specifically promoting assistive robotic technology. NIH will accept applications for exoskeletons or surgical robotics directly through NIH FOAs, and not through the NRI, http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-EB-14-008.html.
About the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering: NIBIB’s mission is to improve health by leading the development and accelerating the application of biomedical technologies. The Institute is committed to integrating the physical and engineering sciences with the life sciences to advance basic research and medical care. NIBIB supports emerging technology research and development within its internal laboratories and through grants, collaborations, and training. More information is available at the NIBIB website: http://www.nibib.nih.gov.
NINR supports basic and clinical research that develops the knowledge to build the scientific foundation for clinical practice, prevent disease and disability, manage and eliminate symptoms caused by illness, and enhance end-of-life and palliative care. For more information about NINR, visit the website at http://www.ninr.nih.gov.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.