Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Notre Dame, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 277-280). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Irvine, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-125). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Irvine, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 119-125).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2008. / Includes graphs and tables. Includes list of publications co-authored with others. Title from title screen (viewed November 28, 2008) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technologies. Degree awarded 2008; thesis submitted 2007. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print form.

M.Sc. / The Mining of sand in South Africa is rapidly growing to sustain an increasing demand of sand for building purposes. Although mining of sand is regulated by environmental legislation, such as the National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998, previous poor mining practices have left areas of land degraded and vulnerable to erosion. These areas need to be rehabilitated by restoring the vegetation and habitats to a natural state. This study was conducted in the Seringveld Conservancy, where the mining of sand has left the landscape with a degraded and unsightly appearance, and where little rehabilitation of the original vegetation has taken place. The aim of the study was to develop rehabilitation techniques for the degraded mined soils and to develop an overall strategy of revegetation by regenerating key plant species. Techniques for regenerating indigenous tree species cover, using modified mined sludge if topsoil is not available, were used to develop a practical and cost effective strategy to be used in revegetation. A comparative trial was used to cultivate indigenous tree species in different soil mixtures. Monitoring was done weekly to determine the growth performance and to ascertain which plant species would be most suitable and easy to cultivate. The study is important as it provides new information on the rehabilitation and revegetation of sand mined areas in the Seringveld Conservancy. This study will determine if alternatives could be used to replace topsoil on mined areas where none is available. The study is needed to determine whether revegetation of the mined areas would be possible using indigenous plant species that are often difficult to grow. The overall results indicate that replacing topsoil was successful for various modified soil mixtures that could sustain the growth of indigenous vegetation on the sand mines. Different indigenous tree species require different modified soil mixtures for successful propagation. A revegetation strategy was developed to complement and enable the rehabilitation of the mined in the Seringveld Conservancy. The revegetation initiative will benefit the restructuring of the degraded mined areas in the Seringveld Conservancy and will provide a benchmark for revegetation efforts in future in similar sand mining areas.

Exoskeletons for gait training commonly use a rigid-linked "skeleton" which makes them heavy and bulky. Cable-driven exoskeletons eliminate the rigid-linked skeleton structure, therefore creating a lighter and more transparent design. Current cable-driven leg exoskeletons are limited to gait assistance use. This thesis presented the Cable-driven Active Leg Exoskeleton (C-ALEX) designed for gait retraining and rehabilitation. Benefited from the cable-driven design, C-ALEX has minimal weight and inertia (4.7 kg) and allows all the degrees-of-freedom (DoF) of the leg of the user. C-ALEX uses an assist-as-needed (AAN) controller to train the user to walk in a new gait pattern. A preliminary design of C-ALEX was first presented, and an experiment was done with this preliminary design to study the effectiveness of the AAN controller. The result on six healthy subjects showed that the subjects were able to follow a new gait pattern significantly more accurately with the help of the AAN controller. After this experiment, C-ALEX was redesigned to improve its functionality. The improved design of C-ALEX is lighter, has more DoFs and larger range-of-motion. The controller of the improved design improved the continuity of the generated cable tensions and added the function to estimate the phase of the gait of the user in real-time. With the improved design of C-ALEX, an experiment was performed to study the effect of the weight and inertia of an exoskeleton on the gait of the user. C-ALEX was used to simulate exoskeletons with different levels of weight and inertia by adding extra mass and change the weight compensation level. The result on ten subjects showed that adding extra mass increased step length and reduced knee flexion. Compensating the weight of the mass partially restored the knee flexion but not the step length, implying that the inertia of the mass is responsible for the change. This study showed the distinctive effect of weight and inertia on gait and demonstrated the benefit of a lightweight exoskeleton. C-ALEX was designed for gait training and rehabilitation, and its training effectiveness was studied in nine healthy subjects and a stroke patient. The healthy subjects trained with C-ALEX to walk in a new gait pattern with 30% increase in step height for 40 min. After the training, the subjects were able to closely repeat the trained gait pattern without C-ALEX, and the step height of the subjects increased significantly. A stroke patient also tested C-ALEX for 40 minutes and showed short-term improvements in step length, step height, and knee flexion after training. The result showed the effectiveness of C-ALEX in gait training and its potential to be used in stroke rehabilitation.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Notre Dame, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 277-280). Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

M.Ing. / As of 1991 new legislation demands that all existing and proposed mines have to submit and implement a rehabilitation plan. This plan consists of numerous phases and can cost a fair amount of money that almost none of the mines have budgeted for. During the rehabilitation process the improvement of the ground on, for example, discard dumps or slurry ponds, are not stable or adequate to enable the civil engineer to ensure stability for the new development. This can include a new sports field or low cost housing or just the peace of mind that the dump is stable and looks natural. This thesis will aim to introduce some of the numerous different ground improvement techniques that are available in South Africa and overseas.

Yes / Changes in world-wide population trends have provided new demands for new technologies in areas such as care and rehabilitation. Recent developments in the the field of robotics for neurorehabilitation have shown a range of evidence regarding usefulness of these technologies as a tool to augment traditional physiotherapy. Part of the appeal for these technologies is the possibility to place a rehabilitative tool in one’s home, providing a chance for more frequent and accessible technologies for empowering individuals to be in charge of their therapy. Objective: this manuscript introduces the Supervised Care and Rehabilitation Involving Personal Tele-robotics (SCRIPT) project. The main goal is to demonstrate design and development steps involved in a complex intervention, while examining feasibility of using an instrumented orthotic device for home-based rehabilitation after stroke. Methods: the project uses a user-centred design methodology to develop a hand/wrist rehabilitation device for home-based therapy after stroke. The patient benefits from a dedicated user interface that allows them to receive feedback on exercise as well as communicating with the health-care professional. The health-care professional is able to use a dedicated interface to send/receive communications and remote-manage patient’s exercise routine using provided performance benchmarks. Patients were involved in a feasibility study (n=23) and were instructed to use the device and its interactive games for 180 min per week, around 30 min per day, for a period of 6 weeks, with a 2-months follow up. At the time of this study, only 12 of these patients have finished their 6 weeks trial plus 2 months follow up evaluation. Results: with the “use feasibility” as objective, our results indicate 2 patients dropping out due to technical difficulty or lack of personal interests to continue. Our frequency of use results indicate that on average, patients used the SCRIPT1 device around 14 min of self-administered therapy a day. The group average for the system usability scale was around 69% supporting system usability. Conclusions: based on the preliminary results, it is evident that stroke patients were able to use the system in their homes. An average of 14 min a day engagement mediated via three interactive games is promising, given the chronic stage of stroke. During the 2nd year of the project, 6 additional games with more functional relevance in their interaction have been designed to allow for a more variant context for interaction with the system, thus hoping to positively influence the exercise duration. The system usability was tested and provided supporting evidence for this parameter. Additional improvements to the system are planned based on formative feedback throughout the project and during the evaluations. These include a new orthosis that allows a more active control of the amount of assistance and resistance provided, thus aiming to provide a more challenging interaction. / This work has been partially funded under Grant FP7-ICT-288698(SCRIPT) of the European Community Seventh Framework Programme.

Thesis (MPhil)--University of Stellenbosch, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Technology and disability are both terms laden with associations, values, meanings and even myths. This becomes clear in this research when both terms are described in the first part, and the various understandings of the terms are explained. When the two terms are considered in relation to each other, the result is a series of questions and ethical problems. In this assignment the focus is specifically on these questions and ethical problems that arise out of the relationship between technology and disability. The research is not done from a natural science perspective (with regard to technology) and lor a medical perspective (with regards to disability), but from a philosophical-ethical perspective. The main aim of this research is to think about what the role of technology is in the life of the disabled in general and what ethical questions arise from it. To form a philosophical-ethical perspective the question is asked: should technology be accepted unequivocally as something that always contributes to the humanization of the disabled? More specifically the assignment focuses on the issue: does cochlear implants contribute to the humanization of the deaf? The potential problematic relationship between the concepts is clear from the separate discussions. The limitations and problems of cochlear implants as an example of technology is shown when it is placed within the framework of a humanizing relationship. It is clear that technology can not be accepted unequivocally as something that always contributes to the humanization of the disabled. The research emphasizes that disability is much more than physical limitations and that compensating for the limitations through technology does not always address all the aspects of a disabled person's life - and can consequently have a dehumanizing effect. A more holistic approach is considered - one in which all the aspects of being human is addressed. The unique challenges of the South African context is discussed shortly and in conclusion the necessity of an "ethics of responsibility" is shown. Reflection on technology and disability is in the end reflection on life and the mysteries of life. Disability that reminds us of our limitations and shortcomings, also reminds us that life is not in our control and that a big part of living is an unsolvable riddle, a mystery. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Tegnologie en gestremdheid is twee gelade terme. Beide verwys na 'n omvangryke wêreld en potensiële probleme. Dit word duidelik in hierdie ondersoek wanneer beide terme omskryf word in die eerste afdeling, en die verskillende verstaansmoontlikhede van die terme uitgewys word. Waar die twee terme in verband met mekaar gebring word, ontstaan daar uiteindelik 'n hele string vrae en etiese probleme. In hierdie skripsie word daar spesifiek op hierdie vrae en etiese probleme, wat ontstaan uit die verhouding tussen tegnologie en gestremdheid, gefokus. Die ondersoek vind nie plaas vanuit 'n suiwer natuurwetenskaplike perspektief (mbt tegnologie) en/of mediese perspektief (mbt gestremdheid) nie, maar vanuit 'n filosofies-etiese perspektief. Om 'n filosofies-etiese perspektief te vorm, word die vraag gevra: moet tegnologie ongekwalifiseerd aanvaar word as iets wat altyd bydra tot die humanisering van die gestremdes? Meer spesifiek word dan ondersoek ingestel na die vraag: dra kogleêre inplantings by tot die humanisering van die dowe? Die vernaamste doel met hierdie ondersoek is dus om na te dink oor wat die rol van tegnologie in die lewe van gestremdes in die algemeen is en watter etiese kwessies dit oproep. Die problematiek rondom dowes en kogleêre inplantings gaan as 'n spesifieke voorbeeld bekyk word. Die begrippe tegnologie en gestremdheid word eers omskryf in die ondersoek. Die potensiële problematiek tussen die verhouding tussen die twee terme (en wêrelde) blyk reeds uit die afsonderlike bespreking van die terme. Die verhouding waarin tegnologie en gestremdheid tot mekaar staan word uitgelig deur sekere voorbeelde te noem, en dan word daar spesifiek op kogleêre inplantings gefokus. Die beperkings en problematiek van kogleêre inplantings as spesifieke tegnologie word duidelik wanneer dit binne die raamwerk van die vraag gestel word of dit 'n humaniserende verhouding is. Dit is duidelik dat tegnologie nie ongekwalifiseerd aanvaar kan word as iets wat altyd bydra tot die humanisering van die gestremdes nie. Die ondersoek beklemtoon uiteindelik dat gestremdheid veel meer behels as blote liggaamlike gebreke en dat die kompensasie daarvoor deur tegnologie nie altyd as humaniserend ervaar word nie. 'n Meer holistiese benadering word bepleit - een waarin alle fasette van die mens (gestremde) se behoeftes aangespreek word. Die unieke uitdagings wat dit inhou vir ons Suid-Afrikaanse konteks word kortliks bespreek en ten slotte word daar gewys op die noodsaaklikheid van 'n letiek van verantwoordelikheid'. Nadenke oor tegnologie en gestremdheid is uiteindelik nadenke oor die lewe en oor die geheimenisse daarvan. Gestremdheid wat ons herinner aan ons tekortkominge en beperkinge, herinner ons ook daaraan dat die lewe 'n misterie is.