Global competition aims to significantly advance assistive tech for disabled people
From 25 to 27 October 2024, the third Cybathlon will take place in the Swiss Arena in Kloten, Switzerland. The global competition sees disabled people master everyday tasks with the help of newly developed assistive technologies.
Organised by ETH Zurich, the Cybathlon aims to significantly advance assistive technologies for disabled people.
There are eight different disciplines to compete in, where a “pilot” solves a task using assistive technologies that teams from around the world have developed.
The eight different disciplines are:
- Arm prosthesis race
- Assistance robot race (new to Cybathlon 2024)
- Vision assistance race (new to Cybathlon 2024)
- Brain-computer interface race
- Exoskeleton race
- Functional electrical stimulation bike race
- Leg prosthesis race
- Wheelchair race
Each discipline is designed to reflect everyday activities that can be challenging for disabled people. As the pilots solve the respective tasks in competition, it is designed to demonstrate how well the developed technology is suited to support disabled individuals in day-to-day life.
With the Cybathlon, ETH Zurich connects researchers with those affected (pilots) so that they can find solutions together that enhance independence and promote social inclusion.
ETH Zurich Professor Robert Riener, the initiator of the event, said: “Inclusion is all about helping to break down barriers so that we can create equal opportunities for everyone. The Cybathlon motivates researchers worldwide to work in a more user-oriented way.”
The idea behind the Cybathlon is to accelerate innovation and development of assistive technologies through international competition. Some 80 teams from 26 nations compete for medals in the eight different disciplines, with teams drawn from both industry and universities.
To make the Cybathlon itself as inclusive as possible, the event will take place simultaneously at nine locations, known as hubs, around the world. The teams may also build matching courses locally and thus avoid asking pilots to make a strenuous journey. Team “BeAGain” in South Korea, for example, is organising its own Cybathlon and holding the races at the same time as the Cybathlon in Switzerland.
Spectators can watch the competitions live on site with a valid ticket. Audio descriptions in English and German are available for people with visual impairments. For people with hearing impairments, the competitions will be interpreted into International Sign and German Sign languages. The entire event will also be livestreamed here.