ZURICH — Cybathlon, the-first of-its-kind competition for disabled participants that will use assistive technology, will take place Saturday. Except unlike Olympic or Paralympic Games, robotic technology will be the focus of Cybathlon and not athletic prowess.
Think F1, where pit crews and racing drivers work together to win the races. In Cybathlon, “pilots” will replace drivers and technology developers will replace pit crews. The pilot will need the technology to perform in the race. And the technology teams will depend on the pilot to maneuver the assistive technology to the best of his ability. Together they will compete in six disciplines that will use assistive technology ranging from prosthetic arms, electric wheelchairs to robot exoskeletons.
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A brainchild of Robert Riener, a professor in the sensory-motor systems lab at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH), Cybathlon will be organized by ETH and Swiss Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) Robotics. Seventy-four pilots from 25 countries will participate in this event. And just like in F1, winners will get two medals – one for the pilot and one for the technology team.
The disciplines will include races with obstacle courses as well as agility tests. More than speed and endurance, Cybathlon will test technologies for people with disabilities. Some of the technologies that will be used in the competition are already on the market but some technologies will be prototypes from research labs.
Two of these races could be the most interesting. Pilots with complete paralysis will compete in a bike race and will use only technology to move their legs. Another discipline will see the participants using only their “brain-waves” to win a virtual race.
Here’s a breakdown of the six disciplines:
Functional Electrical Stimulation Bike: Pilots with paralysis in their lower bodies will use special bikes on an indoor racetrack that will be 1 km long. Their leg muscles and movements will be powered by assistive technology.
Powered Arm Prosthesis Race: Robotic arms will be the highlight of this race. Pilots will perform everyday tasks with their advanced arm. Each of these tasks will require a different type of grip. There will be a series of six tasks in total.
Powered Leg Prosthesis Race: There will be an obstacle course in this race which will include beams, stairs and slopes. These obstacles have been included considering the fact that the current prostheses in the market enable these movements.
Powered Exoskeleton Race: Pilots with paraplegia will use exoskeletons on their legs and complete tasks ranging from climbing, walking to stepping over an obstacle.
Powered Wheelchair Race: Pilots will race with advanced wheelchairs through a race course that will include going up and down a ramp.
Brain-computer Interface (BCI) Race: This will be a race in which pilots will race through their minds. They will be represented by avatars on a specially developed computer game.
Through these disciplines, Cybathlon wants to show that technology can make daily life for people with disabilities more manageable. It further aims to connect the general public, people with disabilities and technology developers. But there is a reason why it will be held at a local ice hockey team – it also wants to engage spectators.
No cyborgs yet, but could this be a glimpse in to the future of life-changing assistive technology?