RehabMod

According to World Health Organization, over half of the population do not have access to the rehabilitation that they require and lack of practitioners in low- and middle- income countries.

People with motor impairments require regular and effective rehabilitation to improve the physical performance. Stroke is one of the leading causes of disabilities worldwide. Stroke survivors have a golden rehabilitation period, which is the first 3-6 months after the stroke due to the neuroplasticity of the brain. However, the lack of monitoring after the survivors are discharged  and limited access of rehabilitation services or tools can lead to the failure of training. Consequently, it is important to have an accessible reahabilitation device for people with motor impairments to achieve both training and monitoring. 

References:
https://www.who.int/news-room/...

RehabMod is a 3D-printable modular wearable for people with upper-limb motor impairments to provide healthcare access to personalized rehabilitation and monitoring after being discharged from the hospital. 

Using cost-effective, fast printing and easy assembling design with 3D printing (i.e., PLA FDM Printing) and electronics (i.e., Arduino, motors, etc.), doctors, therapists and users can personalize the rehabilitation device with modules seperated by body parts and functions.

People with upper-limb motor impairments, including stroke survivors and older adults who requires upper-limb motor rehabilitations.

Rehabilitation and Assistive Devices
Survivors usually need to purchase seperated devices for different rehabilitation stages and body parts. There are emerging multi-functional device for training and assistance, which are comparative expensive and lack of personalization.

Personalization
Lack of personalization leads to the low adherence to training. After the patients are discharged from the hospital, there is a lack of monitoring and data collection for the doctor and therapist to develop the effective rehabilitation path.

In previous project, we have a member who has collaborated with bioengineer and began 3D-printable design concepts concerning stigma of rehabilitation devices. In conversations with survivors' caregivers, they suggested personalization with colors and more options could be a path to human-centered rehabilitation and assistive technologies. 

Therefore, the team focuses not only the functionality but also the aesthetics and human-computer interaction in the project. Through the school connections with hospitals, doctors and therapists from the department of rehabilitation will be invited to provide feedback among the design, modules, combination, wearable, etc.

Prototype with Additive Manufacturing (FDM-PLA)
Iterative stages of 3D-printed prototypes with electronics are delivered.

Studies with Stakeholders
Utilising the latest set of prototypes, the team interviews doctors and therapists from the department of rehabilitation at the hospital during April - May 2024.

Gain Public Relation and Exposure
Other than the  financial support for the equipment and user studies, we would like to utililize the public exposure to gain interests and awareness from different communities, such as stroke survivors, older adults, 3D printing enthausiasts and STEAM educators. Without public exposures, we have facing difficulties in recruiting participants to join the design process and give valuable feedback. Through applying for this program, we can a share RehabMod with more peers through online sharing, conferences and more.

Rethink the Connections between Communities
It is important to have sustainable development for accessible rehabilitation and assistive technologies, so RehabMod aims to connect with 3D printing enthausiasts, makers and STEAM educators to achieve "making+realisation", especially for the kids who have access to technologies. They can join the RehabMaker Community to learn electronics and 3D printing not only for the class but also for the real users who need a workable rehabilitation device.

Connect with Communities in Developing Countries and Rural Areas
RehabMod aims to promote and bring the accessible rehabilitation wearables to the developing countries and rural areas worldwide. We hope to achieve a reaching out pilot program through the virtual support program, where we can have the leadership training and join the network.

Huamn-centered Accessible Rehabilitation

1. Seperate the existing functions in rehabilitation devices
2. Improve personalization for doctors, therapists and users
3. Provide future cost-effective monitoring options
4. Build up rehabilitation community with resue/recycle concept
5. Connect STEAM education, maker and 3D printing communites
6. Extendable and sustainable for research and development, such as AR/VR, wearable sensor, smart manufacturing and public health

Research and Development

1. Develop 3D Printed protoypes of electronics wearables
2. Organize interview workshop with doctors and therapist
3. Gain feedback from stroke survivors
4. Share research findings
5. Promote the idea through social media, contests and conferences
6. Reach out to communities

1. Improve access of rehabilitation
   1. Develop low-cost rehabilitation wearables
   2. Enhance independence and maintain everyday activities
2. Provide guided training on wearables 
   1. program training in devices for middle- and low-income countries, where it has a lack of practitioners available

1. Additive Manufacturing
   1. FDM Printing
      1. PLA
      2. TPU
2. Physical Computing
   1. Micro-controller
   2. Input signal
      1. sensors
   3. Output signal
      1. displays
      2. stimulation
3. Applications
   1. Controllers in VR rehabilitation
   2. AI rehabilitation path

1

1 year and 3 months.

I am now recruiting teammates from the school I am now studying at. I am now having members from background of design, data science and AI engineering.

1. Rehabilitation
   1. hospital
   2. rehabilitation center
   3. patient community
   4. medical device company
2. STEAM & Maker Culture
   1. STEAM education
      1. school
      2. makerspace
      3. teacher
      4. students
      5. public workshop
   2. Maker
      1. product design
      2. 3D printing
         1. 3D design and modeling
         2. 3D printer manufacturers
         3. 3D filament manufacturers
      3. electronics
3. Research & Development
   1. Human-computer interaction
   2. smart manufacturing
   3. biomedical engineering
   4. AI and data science
4. Funding
   1. research funding
   2. art funding
   3. entrepreneurial funding

Service subsidization

1. STEAM Education for Schools
   1. Use RehabMod for a project-based learning
   2. Teach 3D modeling, design and fabrication
   3. Integrate physical computing to install electronics
   4. Gain incomes through STEAM teaching at schools
2. STEAM Workshops with Students and Volunteers
   1. organize public workshops
   2. collaborate with makerspaces in mainland China and Hong Kong SAR
3. Collaborate with Hospitals to apply research funding
4. Apply for entrepreneurship and start-up funding