By Wang Yanfang
The 2024 International Convention on Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology & World Rehabilitation Robot Convention (i-CREATe & WRRC 2024) was held in Shanghai from Aug. 23-26.
The four-day event featured Zhang Haidi, president of Rehabilitation International (RI) and former chairperson of China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF), Sarun Sumriddetchkajorn, president of the Coalition on Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology of Asia (CREATe Asia) and over 200 world-renowned rehabilitation sci-tech experts and representatives from international organizations.
The conference hosted four keynote speeches, seven summit forums, ten seminars, 29 themed forums, four roundtable meetings, two innovation and venture contests and over 400 academic lectures. Participants attended both in-person and online with more than 1,000 people attending the conference on-site and over 200,000 online.
With the theme of “Intelligent Technology Empowers the Future of Rehabilitation,” this year’s conference focused on the issues of rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology in the fields of rehabilitation therapy, rehabilitation nursing and accessible interactive design.
Zhang Haidi emphasized in her address that rehabilitation eases suffering of disabilities and assists people with disabilities in their daily lives, which makes their lives more fulfilling. As a result, they are more satisfied toward life.
Sarun Sumriddetchkajorn said that rehabilitation engineering and robotics technology both play pivotal roles in the development of contemporary medical science and technology. He hopes that through highlighting rehabilitation engineering at the conference that this use of engineering principles to better people’s lives will gain more attention and enthusiasm.
The conference also showcased cutting-edge technological trends such as intelligent rehabilitation and rehabilitation robotics, technological solutions for elderly care and smart care robots as well as humanoid robots, which promote the development of rehabilitative treatment and provide a powerful incentive to transform future smart medical care.
At the closing ceremony, Global Alliance of Assistive Technology Organizations and CREATe Asia signed a cooperative agreement that aims to explore rehabilitation engineering and assistive technological cooperation, becoming a model for international collaboration in the field. An innovation challenge activity for global university students, a rehabilitation robot venture contest and an award ceremony for academic papers were also held at the closing ceremony, encouraging more young scholars and students to explore and develop the field of smart rehabilitation.
