Cybathlon 2024 competes for advance of assistance technologies

A total of 67 teams from 24 countries competed against each other to help develop and promote technology, for people with disabilities, that is suitable for everyday use.

Cybathlon

The “pilots” competed against each other across eight disciplines. For example, there was a bicycle race with electrical muscle stimulation, and obstacle courses for using prosthetic arms, prosthetic legs, robotic exoskeletons, and motorised wheelchairs.

Also, there was an obstacle course for vision assistive technologies and an Assistant Robot Race. These were two new disciplines held for the first time.

You can check out a video overview of the competition below, but highlights included robotic arms mounted on wheelchairs and a kind of robotic guide dog.

In the Vision Assistance Race, you can also see a chest harness was presented with a handle that guides the pilot via kinaesthetic feedback, as well as an intelligent cane for the blind and a special app for smartphones.

The organisers at ETH Zurich write:

“The overall goal of the competition is to create a world without barriers by advancing assistive technologies for persons with physical disabilities and to create a dialogue with society. Competitors take assistance systems such as arm and leg prostheses, wheelchairs, and canes for the blind and optimise them for everyday use”.

There was an attendance of 6,000 spectators at the sites. And another 15,500 were following the competitions in regional hubs or online!

You can read the full results on the competition website.

Assistive technologies

“The Cybathlon impressively demonstrated how important it is to have people at the centre of technology development,” says Robert Riener, initiator of the Cybathlon and professor at ETH Zurich.

“We create the best technological solutions when we incorporate the needs of users into the development of assistive technologies right from the start,” added Anni Kern, co-director of the Cybathlon. “Each time, what really moves me is the camaraderie at the Cybathlon. This positive impetus not only enables us to drive technological development forward, but also to draw attention to the needs of people with disabilities.”

Accessible

The Cybathlon 2020 event was purely virtual due to the pandemic. This third edition, by contrast, was an accessible hybrid competition. It took place in front of spectators at the Swiss Arena in Kloten and at seven hubs around the world.

In four years time, the event is expected to be hosted in Asia.

Image: Alessandro Della Bella / ETH Zurich – Samuel Kunz, from Team RSL, at ETH Zurich with two assistants.

See also: Building a Raspberry Pi-based accessible Smart Guitar