ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY FOR SPINAL CORD INJURY: MODULAR STANDING-GAIT TRAINER FOR LMICS REHABILITATION

Abstract

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a main rehabilitation challenge in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where most present standing and gait training devices are designed for high-resource settings and are poorly suited to local needs. This research presents the design, development, and evaluation of a modular standing-cum-gait trainer specifically tailored for SCI rehabilitation in LMIC contexts. The complete user research with various SCI individuals, caregivers, and rehabilitation professionals, the study finds requirements for assistive technology in resource- constrained environments including adaptability, portability, safety, and social suitability. The research process involved prototyping, user testing, and refinement based on feedback from real use circumstances. Results reveal important improvements in user satisfaction, stability, and confidence between SCI users and caregivers as compare to conventional rehabilitation methods. The proposed modular solution includes the anthropometric and biomechanical understandings, focus on critical gaps in home and clinical rehabilitation contexts, and also includes local user viewpoints during design and testing.