Context & Vision

The BruBotics Rehabilitation Research Center was opened in 2022, with the purpose of bringing together rehabilitation researchers, clinicians, technology developers and patients.

The context

In the past decades, the number of rehabilitation technologies available on market is rising rapidly. New types of rehabilitation robotics, augmented & virtual reality, serious games, neuromodulation and novel therapies and treatment methods are popping up all the time.

As they become more available, the need for knowledge and expertise on robotic rehabilitation devices is rising. Equally so, the demand for scientific evidence of these novel rehabilitation technologies is therefore high. There is a need for more scientific proof of their effect and impact on patients and clinicians, both on there physical as mental wellbeing. When and how to best use some of these technologies is also still an unanswered question.

The Vision

We want to establish a leading robotics rehabilitation research hub in the (wide) Brussels region focussing on state of the art assistive technologies such as rehabilitation robotics, AR/VR, serious gaming....

Here research will be conducted on new robots and their effectivity, education will be given to the next (and current) generations of therapists and producers will showcase their latest developments, whilst also allowing patients to access the latest technologies and fostering a unique collaboration between patients and researchers

On top, as technologies such as robotics and AI mature, the demand for a new generation of user friendly robotic rehab devices also grows. To create the next generation of rehabilitation technologies, and robotics in particular, a stronger interaction between engineers & clinicians & patients is urgently needed.

These observations formed the direct cause to initiate and create the BruBotics Rehabilitation Research Center.

Acknowledgments

The BRRC was made possible thanks to FWO Hercules and VUB IOF funding.