Rehabilitation applications of robotic technology.

(Rossum's Universal Robots) originated the name, robots have become a firmly entrenched icon of modern culture. The image of the robot aaa "tin man" remains deeply rooted in the popular perception of these machines and may account for the preconceptions (and perhaps some anxiety) of patients and clinicians when first introduced to the concept of using robots to assist in rehabilitation. Of course, the present reality of rehabilitation robotics is very far from the capabilities implied by the "tin man" image (often to the relief of both patients and clini-cians). One challenge of this rehabilitation technology is to find the right vision, an accurate picture of what can reasonably be expected of rehabilitation robotics. The papers collected in this single-topic issue may provide some indication of what is to come. A perspective on the future of rehabilitation robotics may be gained by considering the S8V-erol decades of research and development of industrial robotic applications. The 1980's opened with an almost boundless optimism about the future of indu3tri8l robotics. The high-flown hyperbole was matched by volumes of venture capital investment, as the potential value of this technology was seen to be high. That early enthusiasm has been somewhat tempered by experiences of the intervening decades. The potential value of industrial robot-ics remains high, but much of the potential is as yet unrealized. It turned out (perhaps predictably) that the particular application was a key factor in determining success. The application determined the market that in turn drove the technology innovation created to meet the specific needs of that application. By analogy, the future of rehabilitation robotics is likely to be determined by success in specific applications. The critical question is : What value is added? A practical way to answer this question is to try a technology and pay close attention to how it is used. One common theme of the papers in this single-topic issue is experience with people going through the rehabilitation process. The idea of applying robotic technology to rehabilitation has a long and venerable history. Earlier research emphasized applications to assist persons with disabilities. Some of that work has resulted in devices that are now beginning the transition to commercially available products. As yet, the size and sustainability of the market for these products remains to be seen, but whatever the outcome, further refinement of these applications is arguably beyond the realm of research and for that …