Moving People and Technology CYBATHLON Logo

Cybathlon, a project of

ETH Zurich (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...

, acts as a platform that challenges teams from all over the world to develop assistive technologies suitable for everyday use with and for people with disabilities. The driving force behind CYBATHLON is international competitions and events, in which teams consisting of technology developers from universities, companies or NGOs and a person with disabilities (pilot) tackle various everyday tasks with their latest assistive technologies. Besides the actual competition, the Cybathlon offers a platform to drive forward research on assistance systems for everyday use, and to promote dialogue with the public for the inclusion of people with disabilities in society. The first Cybathlon organised by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (

) took place in the Swiss Arena in

Kloten Kloten is a municipality in the district of Bülach in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland, and belongs to the Glatt Valley (german: Glatttal). History Kloten is first mentioned in 1155 as ''Chlotun''. Geography Kloten is located in the Gl ...

north of Zurich in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

on 8 October 2016 and was the first international competition of this kind. 66 pilots from 25 nations competed in front of a stadium with approximately 4600 spectators. The 2020 Cybathlon took place on 13–14 November 2020. The ongoing

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

necessitated that this “Global Edition” take place remotely, with teams setting up the infrastructure for the competition at their home bases and with the races, overseen by Cybathlon officials, taking place via video. CYBATHLON 2024: ETH Zurich’s unique non-profit project continues! From 25 to 27 October 2024, the third edition of the CYBATHLON will take place in a global format in the Arena Schluefweg in Kloten near Zurich and in local hubs all around the world. 160 international teams from the worlds of academia and industry will compete in a unique competition.

Background

Robert Riener, head of the professorship for Sensory-Motor Systems at ETH Zurich, initiated the Cybathlon in 2013 as a platform for the development of everyday-suitable assistance systems. The event organised under the umbrella of

is supported financially as well as ideologically by partners and through patronage. Whereas other international competitions for disabled athletes, such as the

Paralympics The Paralympic Games or Paralympics, also known as the ''Games of the Paralympiad'', is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of physical disabilities, including impaired muscle power and impaired ...

, only permit competitors to use unpowered assistive technology, the Cybathlon encourages the use of performance-enhancing technology such as

powered exoskeleton A powered exoskeleton, also known as power armor, powered armor, powered suit, cybernetic suit, cybernetic armor, exosuit, hardsuit, exoframe or augmented mobility, is a mobile machine that is wearable over all or part of the human body, provi ...

s. Teams can compete in eight different disciplines. A team always consists of a pilot (person with a disability that meets the inclusion criteria of the respective discipline) and a technology provider (university or company) who work closely together. Currently, the split is about 70% with a university and 30% with a company background (e.g. manufacturers of commercially available prostheses).

Disciplines

The CYBATHLON competition is comprised with eight different disciplines. The tasks in the CYBATHLON disciplines are designed to reflect everyday activities that can be challenging for people with disabilities. While solving the respective tasks in competition, it is shown how well the developed technology is suited to support the pilot in everyday life. Teams compete on courses designed to test how well suited a given technology is to helping its user with everyday tasks, for example climbing stairs or opening doors. In each discipline several pilots compete simultaneously. The tasks and rules are defined in detail for each of the six disciplines. Most important is that the pilots complete the tasks correct, safe and secure. Time comes in as a secondary factor. * Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Race: In the BCI race, pilots with quadriplegia use brain-computer interfaces to control avatars in a computer game. The aim of this technology is to control devices such as wheelchairs for people with limited ability to move. *

Functional Electrical Stimulation Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a technique that uses low-energy electrical pulses to artificially generate body movements in individuals who have been paralyzed due to injury to the central nervous system. More specifically, FES can ...

(FES) Bike Race: The FES race is for pilots with paraplegia. Functional electrical stimulation is enabling them to perform a pedalling movement on a

recumbent bicycle A recumbent bicycle is a bicycle that places the rider in a laid-back reclining position. Most recumbent riders choose this type of design for ergonomic reasons: the rider's weight is distributed comfortably over a larger area, supported by ba ...

. * Arm Prosthesis Race: In this race, pilots using an arm prosthesis on one or both sides can compete. The prosthesis has to include the wrist and can be navigated with any kind of control. * Leg Prosthesis Race: In this race, pilots using a leg prosthesis on one or both sides, including a knee joint, have to perform various movements. They can use any kind of active or passive prosthetic device. *

Exoskeleton An exoskeleton (from Greek ''éxō'' "outer" and ''skeletós'' "skeleton") is an external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to an internal skeleton (endoskeleton) in for example, a human. In usage, some of the ...

Race: In this race, pilots with complete thoracic or lumbar spinal cord injury can compete using an exoskeleton. This wearable, powered support enables them to walk and master other everyday tasks. * Wheelchair Race: In this race, pilots with severe walking disability using a powered wheelchair can compete. The wheelchairs feature novel technologies to overcome obstacles such as stairs or doors. * Assistance Robot Race: The Race consists of tasks that contain elements of human-robot interaction. Both pilots and robots recognize and manipulate various objects, avoid obstacles and react to some dynamic elements on the track. * Vision Assistance Race: The Race includes elements of spatial orientation and personal mobility, such as boarding and leaving a public bus and react to some dynamic elements. Tasks are tackled under a time constraint. Pilots are to recognize the context of a task and avoid obstacles.

Cybathlon 2016

Medals were awarded to both the pilots themselves and to the companies or institutions that create their bionics. Competitions were organized in such a way that the participants could demonstrate not only their own skills, but also the distinctive qualities of assistive technologies. For example, in the category of "hand prostheses", competitors attempted several food-related fine motor tasks and in the category "Neuro" the participants managed avatars in a specially designed computer game.Cybathlon: Battle of the bionic athletes, BBC
/ref> The winners: *Brain-Computer Interface Race: Numa Poujouly - Team Brain Tweakers (Switzerland) *Functional Electrical Stimulation Bike Race: Mark Muhn - Team Cleveland (US) *Arm Prosthesis Race: Robert (Bob) Radocy - Team Dipo Power (Netherlands) *Exoskeleton Race: Andre Van Ruschen - Team ReWalk (Germany) *Leg Prosthesis Race: Helgi Sveinsson - Team Rheo Knee (Iceland) *Wheelchair Race: Florian Hauser - Team HSR Enhanced (Switzerland)

Cybathlon 2020

Cybathlon 2020 took place on 13 – 14 November 2020 – globally and in a new format, at the teams’ home bases. They set up their infrastructure for the competition and filmed their races. Instead of starting directly next to each other, the pilots started individually and under the supervision of Cybathlon officials. From ETH Zurich, the competitions were broadcast through a new platform in a unique live programme. At the Cybathlon 2020 Global Edition, pilots and their technology development teams showed what they have achieved together over the past years and will offer the spectators an unforgettable competition experience. The winners: *Brain-Computer Interface Race: Francesco Bettella – Team WHi (Italy) *Functional Electrical Stimulation Bike Race: Sander Koomen – Team PULSE Racing (Netherlands) *Arm Prosthesis Race: Andrej Đukić – Team Maker Hand (Croatia) *Exoskeleton Race: Kim Byeong-Uk – Team Angel Robotics 1 (South Korea) *Leg Prosthesis Race: Andre Frei – Team Circleg (Switzerland) *Wheelchair Race: Florian Hauser – Team Robility enhanced (Switzerland)

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.cybathlon.ethz.ch an
YouTube channel"Cybathlon 2016: first 'Olympics' for bionic athletes"
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