ua-LABs: socio-technical challenges in telerehabilitation, distant learning and universal access to continuing education

Robotics, domotics, telematics and I-Labs are highly integrated mechatronic communication systems that offer flexible solutions for continuing education. Carefully crafted, these environments can support collaborative learning by teams of people with highly variable function and independence levels. Ensuring universal access often revolves around attempts to lower the cost of technology customization. However, customizing technology for people with moderate to severe disabilities is inherently cost-inefficient without compromising its usefulness. We suggest that by focusing on remote access to continuing education, we create technical systems that are inherently universal. A large and growing market brings people together in ways that are inclusive and egalitarian.