The SWAG consortium was proud to contribute to RehabWeek 2025 in Chicago, USA, the premier gathering for rehabilitation technology professionals from around the world. Hosted from May 12–16, RehabWeek brought together researchers, clinicians, engineers, and industry leaders.

Engaging Stakeholders in Rehabilitation Technology Development

SWAG partner Roessingh Research and Development organised an interactive workshop that welcomed approximately 45 enthusiastic participants. The session was chaired by Gerdienke Prange-Lasonder, with contributions from Stephanie Jansen-Kosterink, Erik Prinsen, and Petter Bäckgren. The workshop underscored the importance of involving end-users and diverse stakeholders throughout the development and evaluation of rehabilitation technologies.

The session opened with an introduction to the SWAG exosuit and the SWAG project, focusing on the Motion Assistance use case. This set the stage for a dynamic World Café discussion, where participants selected tables representing different stakeholder perspectives: patient, healthcare organisation, technology developer, caregiver, and health insurer. Each group explored the benefits and challenges of the exosuit from their chosen viewpoint, resulting in lively discussions and valuable insights. Key points and ideas were captured on the spot, providing a rich source of feedback for the SWAG consortium to integrate into future project activities.

The workshop continued with a similar exercise featuring a different wearable robot (arm exoskeleton), further broadening the discussion and deepening understanding of stakeholder needs.

Collaborative Approaches for Meaningful Innovation

By combining the expertise of both the Rehabilitation Hospital (Roessingh, Centrum voor Revalidatie) and industry partner Bioservo AB, the workshop demonstrated how close collaboration can drive impactful and sustainable technology development. The participatory World Café methodology showcased during the session proved to be an effective tool for generating new insights and fostering engagement among attendees.

At the conclusion of the workshop, participants were invited to complete a short questionnaire on their experience with this participatory approach. Roessingh will synthesise all the input gathered during the session for a forthcoming journal publication, ensuring that the valuable feedback from RehabWeek continues to inform and inspire future research.

The event’s interdisciplinary spirit and focus on translational research made it an ideal venue for the SWAG project to engage with the broader rehabilitation community and foster new collaborations.

If you are interested in applying participatory approaches in your own research and innovation projects, the SWAG consortium welcomes your interest and looks forward to future partnerships.