•This year's event will see competitors tackle everyday tasks that can be challenging to persons with disability.
•Such technologies help people with disabilities to become even more independent, thus promoting their inclusion in society.
Image: HANDOUT
The third Cybathlon, the world's largest competition for people with disabilities using assistive technologies, will take place from October 25 to 27 at the Swiss Arena in Kloten, Switzerland.
With 80 teams participating from 26 nations, the Cybathlon is the world’s largest competition for assistive technologies.
The competition accelerates the advancement of assistive technologies by engaging people with physical disabilities as developers and pilots.
In eight Cybathlon races, pilots challenge the performance and functionality of assistive devices in everyday activities such as climbing stairs using an exoskeleton, a wheelchair, or a prosthetic leg.
This year's event will see competitors tackle everyday tasks that can be challenging to persons with disability.
Climbing stairs, cleaning your teeth, setting the table: all these activities can be challenging for people with certain physical disabilities.
It’s precisely these tasks that are part of the Cybathlon competitions, which put assistive technologies to the test.
Such technologies help people with disabilities to become even more independent, thus promoting their inclusion in society.
With the Cybathlon, ETH Zurich connects researchers with those affected (“pilots”) so that they can find solutions together.
“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,” says ETH Zurich Professor Robert Riener, initiator of the event.
Professor Robert Riener of ETH Zurich, the event's initiator, emphasizes that the Cybathlon motivates researchers worldwide to focus on user-oriented designs, ultimately promoting equal opportunities for all.
This year's competition will feature 80 teams from 26 countries, competing in eight disciplines.
Two new disciplines have been added: the Vision Assistance Race (VIS) for individuals with severe visual impairments, and the Assistance Robot Race for those with limited motor skills.
People with a severe impairment or a complete loss of vision lack the most basic information from their environment.
A new Cybathlon discipline has now been created for these people and their needs: in “VIS”, the Vision Assistance Race, new technologies such as an intelligent cane for the blind help to pass on important information about the surroundings to their pilots.
For example, pilots should be able to find a vacant seat on public transport, locate the right product on a shelf or even distinguish between colours.
In the second new discipline, the Assistance Robot Race, robots assist people with limited motor skills to solve tasks.
The pilots work together with the robot to, say, grip various objects under time pressure or to avoid obstacles.
“Assistant robots show promising potential to support people who have very little or no control over their arms and legs. That’s why we felt it was important to create a separate discipline,” says Riener
In both disciplines, the first criterion is whether a task has been completed correctly; the second, how quickly.
In the VIS discipline, technologies such as intelligent canes help participants navigate their environment, while the Assistance Robot Race involves robots assisting pilots with tasks like gripping objects or avoiding obstacles.
Eleven teams from Switzerland, including five from ETH Zurich, will participate.
The event will be hosted at nine international locations, ensuring global inclusivity and participation.