Challenges in neurorehabilitation and neural engineering

Abstract

Great progress has been achieved in the last few years in Neurorehabilitation and Neural Engineering. Thanks to the parallel development of medical research, the chances to survive a neural injury are growing, so it is necessary to develop technologies that can be used both for rehabilitation and to improve daily activities and social life. New robotic and prosthetic devices and technologies such as Functional Electrical Stimulation, Brain-Computer Interfaces and Virtual Reality are slowly becoming part of clinical rehabilitation setting, but they are far from being part of everyday life for the patients. As technology improves, expectations keep rising and new problems emerge: from cost reduction to the diffusion in the medical environment, from the enlargement of the number of patients who may benefit from these technologies to transferring rehabilitation to the patient’s home. All these requests lead to great challenges that researchers have to face to enhance their contribution towards the improvement of rehabilitation and life conditions of patients with neural impairment.