The various
challenges are designed to resemble daily tasks as closely as possible.
(Copyright all
photos: ETH Zurich/Alessandro Della Bella)
(August 4, 2015) Zurich
will host the first Cybathlon in autumn 2016, bringing together physically
impaired people from all over the world to compete against each other using the
latest assistive technologies. ETH Zurich welcomed 30 of the participating
teams from 15 countries to complete a practice session at the Swiss Arena in
Kloten.
Slicing bread in the morning, pouring a cup of coffee and
sitting down at the kitchen table are a part of everyday life for most people.
But for people with physical impairments such as amputated limbs, the tasks so
many of us take for granted are anything but a matter of course – and they are
often difficult to accomplish without help. According to the World Health
Organisation (WHO), around 15% of the world's population is physically impaired
to some degree. In order to overcome the hurdles of everyday life, many
disabled people use assistive technologies. This is where the Cybathlon comes
in: it aims to drive forward the development of these technologies in a fun and
competitive environment.
In the FES
discipline, pilots with complete spinal cord injuries take part
in a bike race with
the help of functional electrical stimulation.
Day-to-day hurdles
the measure of success
Unlike events such as the Paralympics, the Cybathlon is
aimed at non-athletes with physical impairments. The various courses are
deliberately designed around day-to-day tasks.
“These technologies are already highly advanced in some
areas,” explains Robert Riener, professor at ETH Zurich and founder of the
Cybathlon. “But if we judge them according to their suitability for everyday
life, it becomes apparent that research and development still have a long way
to go.”
Challenging teams
while engaging spectators
The practice session was a great success both for the
participating groups and the Cybathlon organisers, as it helped them to see
what works well and what changes still need be made before 2016. They paid
particular attention to the course design: the tasks need to be relevant to
participants' daily lives, pose a challenge for the participating teams and
create a competition that will engage spectators. During the practice session,
there were significant differences between the five different disciplines: for
example, participants were able to complete the obstacle course for motorised
arm and leg prostheses with relative ease and speed. The competitors, known as
pilots, successfully completed the balance beam challenge and set the table for
breakfast. However, there were some difficulties with the electric wheelchairs:
none of the four participating teams was able to complete all of the hurdles,
and only one wheelchair was able to climb steps. Several prototypes exhibited a
sort of “savant syndrome” – in other words, they were able to complete one of
the six course challenges particularly well, but have room for improvement in
the other challenges.