Downen

MEMORANDUM
TO:

Professor Jennifer Hawk

FROM:

Jennifer Downen

DATE:

4 October 2015

SUBJECT:

Project 2 Technical Definitions and Descriptions

My field of study is mechanical engineering. Rehabilitation engineers work with mechanical

engineers to create their medical devices. I am going to define and describe rehabilitation
engineering.
Audience
My audience is high school students who are researching college majors. The definitions and
descriptions target students who know little about rehabilitation engineering. My explanations
are informal and provide a broad overview.
Purpose
The purpose of my description and definition is to inform students about a different type of
engineering. Many students only know the umbrella engineering fields such as mechanical
engineering, electrical engineering, and computer engineering. They know engineers research
and develop electronics and motor vehicles. They are unaware of the specific majors or
technology they can develop.
Many students who are considering engineering or a medical field may be interested in
rehabilitation engineering. My definition focused on different types of devices that rehabilitation
engineers have created. My description focused on the work environment and the college
criteria. My goal is to inform students about rehabilitation engineering. This provides students
another major to choose.
Placement
A brochure is the best format to provide information about rehabilitation engineering. Subtitles
and pictures are visually appealing and do not intimidate the reader. It is also easy for college
recruiters to handout brochures when they visit high schools. At a college, the engineering
department could offer a brochure in the main office.
This information would be useful on a college website. A college could provide information
about subtopics in engineering. This shows students many avenues they can take in the future.

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TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Rehabilitation engineers create technology to help individuals with disabilities. They create
technology to help patients recover physical and cognitive functions lost by disease or injury
(Rehabilitation).
WHAT THEY RESEARCH
Common research areas include (Goldberg):
Prosthetics and orthotics
Ergonomics
Recreation
Transportation
Sensory aids

Seating and wheeled mobility

Computer access
Augmentive communication
Universal design

INVENTIONS IN HISTORY
Historians and engineers can trace assistive technology back to the
Egyptians. One example was polio. It effected many people and left them
weak. They used a pole as a mobility aid (Figure 1) (Childress.)
Wars caused rehab engineering to develop. There were many knights
battling in the late 1500s. This caused amputation to advance. Ambroise
Pare (1510-1590) established the guidelines for amputating limbs and
fitting patients with prosthetics. Rehab engineers know him as the father
of prosthetics (Childress.)
The Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815) led to the invention of
the Nelsons Knife. It assists individuals with one
functional arm. It allows them to cut and spear food with
one hand (Figure 2.)

Figure 1
Mobility Aid

The American Civil War (1861-1865) caused thirty thousand amputations. This
led to the development of the hard rubber prosthetic foot (Childress.)

Figure 2
Nelsons Knife

World War II (1939-1945) was the birth of rehabilitation engineering. Many

veterans asked for comfortable prosthetics. The United States government decided
to fund research in prosthetics and rehab engineering in 1945 to accommodate
injured soldiers (Childress.)

Rehab engineering was not common knowledge until the late 1960s when engineers started
promoting their research (Childress.)

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CURRENT TECHNOLOGY
There have been many improvements in technology since the 1960s. There are many companies
all over the world researching and developing different tools to help patients recover.
University of Southampton in the United Kingdom uses Microsoft Kinect to help patients
recover from strokes. This technology allows physical therapists to track movement in patients
hands and fingers (Healthstartup.)
Cognuse is a startup company from Estonia.
They invented BrainTraining to aid cognitive
rehab. Their system uses digital exercises and
touchscreen workstations (Healthstartup.)
There are also companies developing at-home
physical therapy aids. KaasaHealth based out of
Germany develops software for iPad, PC, and
Wii for home-based exercises (Healthstartup.)
They created Meister Cody to help children
overcome dyscalculia. This is a brain disorder
that prevents kids from understanding numbers
and math concepts (Figure 3.)

Figure 3
KaasaHealth Childrens Game

CURRENT PROBLEM AND ONGOING

SOLUTION
The current problem physical therapists are facing is poor patient compliance. Therapy takes a
lot of time and it requires many trained therapists. Patients also find it painful and boring
(Healthstartup.)
Rehabilitation engineering is growing and will continue to grow. People will continue to get hurt.
Current technology and continual advancements will make the healing process easier. Engineers
are creating entertaining and effective technology to help patients heal faster with less pain and
retain more mobility.

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TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION
To reiterate, rehabilitation engineers create technology to
help patients recover physical and cognitive functions lost
by disease or injury (Rehabilitation.) My technical
definition explained what rehab engineers research, how
rehab engineering began, past inventions, and current
technology.
It is also important to understand assistive technology. It is
an umbrella term that includes assistive, adaptive, and
rehabilitative devices for individuals with injuries or disabilities
(Figure 4) (Whats Assistive Technology?.)

Figure 4
Type of Assistive Technology

JOB STATISTICS
Rehabilitation engineering is a specific program within biomedical engineering. The United
States Department of Labor created an Occupational Outlook Handbook (Occupational.) The
handbook provides the following information:

2012 Median Pay

Number of Jobs
Job Outlook Growth

$86,960
19,400
27% (much faster than average)

WHERE THEY WORK

Rehabilitation engineers work in research labs, clinics, and
product development labs (Goldberg). There are private
companies like AlterG Incorporated, Ekso Bionics, and
Bioxtreme Robotics Rehabilitation. There are also government
agencies such as the National Institute on Disability, Independent
Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) and
Rehabilitation Research and Development Service (RR&D).
WHOM THEY WORK WITH
Rehab engineers work with clients and their families, employers,
and health care providers (Figure 5) (Goldberg). They also work
with other professionals such as physicians, occupational
therapists, speech pathologists, psychologists, and prosthetists.
They do more clinical work than other engineering fields
(Goldberg).

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Figure 5
Rehabilitation engineer
working with patient and new
technology

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UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS
Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA) has a
list of undergraduate and graduate programs and certification.
Undergraduate
University of Michigan

Graduate
University of Michigan
Rutgers University
California State
University-Northridge
University College
London

Certifications
California State
University-San Diego
Illinois Institute of
Technology
State University of
New York, Buffalo

This list of programs shows that it is uncommon to get an undergraduate degree in rehabilitation
engineering. Many students earn a bachelors degree in biomedical engineering then a masters
degree in rehabilitation engineering. A student can obtain a biomedical engineering doctorate
degree with a focus in rehabilitation engineering.
Students can also receive a certificate in place of or in concurrence with their masters degree.
Certificates show that a student knows how to use technology, engineering and science methods
and can work with patients and professionals (RESNA.)
RESNA also offers two certifications: Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP) and Assistive
Technology Supplier (ATS.) Rehab engineers can benefit from these certifications because they
work directly with assistive technology. RESNA is also working on a certificate specifically for
engineers (RESNA.)
HIGH SCHOOL PREPARATION
A high school student can prepare for rehabilitation engineering by finishing certain classes in
high school. A student should take a year of biology, chemistry, and physics. Students should
take as many advanced sciences as their school provides. They should at least complete
trigonometry and pre-calculus. The more advanced the math the better. A computer
programming class and a drafting class would give students an advantage. Many biomedical and
rehab engineering majors must take anatomy and physiology classes. These are good classes to
take in high school (Designing.)

Rehabilitation engineers improve the quality of peoples lives. They create tools that make
employment, independent living, and education possible. People are mortal and get hurt.
Rehabilitation engineers are helping people suffer less and heal faster. The world needs rehab
engineers.

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Work Cited
Childress, Dudley S. "Development of rehabilitation engineering over the years: As I see it."
Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development 39.6 (2002): 1-10. Web. 4 Oct.
2015.
"Designing a Career in Biomedical Engineering." Engineering in Medicine & Biology. Institute
of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 22 Mar. 2004. Google.com. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
Goldberg, Richard L. "Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology." Department of
Biomedical Engineering at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke
University. N.p., n.d. Google.com. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
Healthstartup. "Emerging technologies in physical therapy and rehabilitation: 10 opportunities
for health startups and clinicians." SlideShare. N.p., 23 June 2013. Google.com. Web. 4
Oct. 2015.
"Occupational Outlook Handbook: Biomedical Engineers." Bureau of Labor Statistics. United
States Department of Labor, 8 Jan. 2014. Google.com. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
"Rehabilitation Engineering." National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, n.d. Google.com. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
RESNA. N.p., 2015. Google.com. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.
"What's Assistive Technology?." RehabTool. N.p., 22 Mar. 2004. Google.com. Web. 4 Oct.
2015.

Pictures Cited
Figure 1

Maumgartner, Rene. 1993. Google.com. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.

Figure 2

Nelson's knife-fork. Martime Museum, London. Google.com. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.

Figure 3

KaasaHealth, Germany. Google.com. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.

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Figure 4

2012. Flickr. Web. 4 Oct. 2015.

Figure 5

2013. Cullen College of Engineering Office of Communication, Houston. Web. 4

Oct. 2015.

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