Launch of the ETH Rehab Initiative
ETH researchers are planning to partner with clinics, foundations, public authorities and other institutions through a broad- based initiative aimed at improving the quality of life and participation of people with physical disabilities. The initiative focuses on a centre that will be a nexus of ETH expertise with up to eight new professorships and a new Master’s programme.
The experience of Cybathlon 2016 – a competition in which people with disabilities solve everyday tasks using state-of-the-art technological assistive systems – changed Robert Riener’s perspective on rehabilitation for people with physical disabilities. “I discovered that the actual needs of people with disabilities do not feed into the development of assistive technologies enough, and conversely that major research discoveries aren’t finding their way into practical applications,” says Riener, Professor for Sensory-Motor Systems at ETH Zurich and Balgrist University Hospital. Yet in-depth knowledge about the effects of prevention, therapy and training is fundamental to improvements in these areas. For this reason, ETH now has plans to make a significant difference in this area through its research and technology transfer.