Rehabilitation Engineering Research
Center (RERC)
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Director: William Mann, Ph.D, OTR
(Department of Occupational Therapy)
The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Technology for Successful Aging (RERC-Tech-Aging), a University of Florida (UF) initiative, was established in October, 2001. The primary focus of the Center is to promote independence and quality of life for older people with disabilities through technology - devices that can make everyday tasks easier to complete. This RERC-Tech-Aging, funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), builds on the work of Mann and colleagues, who in 1991 established and conducted work as the NIDRR funded RERC-Aging at the University at Buffalo (State University of New York at Buffalo).
The core focus of the RERC-Tech-Aging is research and development on communications, home monitoring, and "smart" technology for older persons. To meet this challenge, it has brought together the expertise of several major research universities, corporate partners and professional and consumer organizations. The center is also identifying the needs and barriers to home monitoring and communication technology for elders.
