Health technology holds promise for more efficient rehabilitation care in our society with an ageing population and rising healthcare costs. On the crossroads of technology and medical science, RRD contributes to development of robotics and smart assistive devices that provide the support that people need to be as independent as possible. This can involve technology used during treatment with the aim to improve functioning, assistive devices used to support functional tasks in daily life to compensate for movement limitations, or a combination of both.

Our starting point is a human-centred approach combined with health-specific knowledge about pathology and treatment of movement disorders affecting physical functioning, such as neurological, neuromuscular and orthopaedic problems. With this expertise, we provide constructive input to device development. Working with technology developers along different stages of device development, we understand industry, academic and medical contexts. We actively support development of health technology that is acceptable and effective.

To inform technology design, we identify user requirements and the context of use with primary and secondary end-users. We work with a large network of stakeholders, involving users with and without movement limitations, their carers, healthcare professionals, healthcare providers, etc. With (early) prototypes, we assess usability and user experience, and perform validation tests and feasibility studies, informing design adaptations. Once the technology is mature, we evaluate user acceptance and clinical effect to investigate its impact on users’ functioning, their independence and their quality of life.

With this approach, RRD addresses each aspect of the triangle ‘usability, safety and performance’ to facilitate development of usable (soft) robotics and smart assistive devices for the benefit of its users, and to understand for whom they are suitable. Ultimately, our goal is to enable the right device for the right user, with a positive impact on its stakeholders in healthcare.