Impact of robotics and human enhancement on occupation: what does it mean for rehabilitation?

Abstract

Purpose: People with disabilities face participation challenges in all occupations. Scientific and technological advancements impact the occupational landscape of humans. This scoping review aimed to ascertain the academic engagement with occupation in relation to robotics and human enhancement focusing in particular on how people with disabilities and rehabilitation were mentioned.

Method: SCOPUS and the 70 databases of EBSCO host were searched. Manifest and latent content coding and thematic grouping of codes relevant to answering the review questions was performed.

Results: Only four articles engaged with occupation in relation to human enhancement. As to occupation and robotics, some occupational fields were visible and not others; occupational health and safety was the most visible one; people with disabilities were covered from a medical, therapeutic angle and not in relation to social issues caused by the occupational impact of robotics. Change in the scope, meaning, and clients of rehabilitation efforts related to occupation enabled by human enhancement and robotics was not covered.

Conclusions: The gaps found should be filled. The impact of robotics and human enhancement on the occupational landscape indicates the need for rehabilitation to think beyond recovery to the species typical as a goal. The ultrabilitation concept could help to meet this need.

Implications for rehabilitation

• Advances in robotics and human enhancement beyond species-typical levels modify the occupational landscape, human ability expectations in this setting, and the meaning and scope of disability and rehabilitation (clinical and community based).

• There is a need to elucidate the impact of these changes on the meaning, scope and goals of recovery-oriented rehabilitation.

• The recently coined term “ultrabilitation” creates space to discuss an ability expectation creep triggered by developments in robotics and human enhancement, particularly within occupation focused rehabilitation.

Keywords:

• Occupation
• occupational concepts
• science
• technology
• robotics
• human enhancement
• rehabilitation
• ultrabilitation
• disabled people
• people with disabilities

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.