CYBATHLON, championship for robot-assisted parathletes, Zurich, Switzerland

The Cybathlon is a championship for racing pilots with disabilities (i.e. parathletes) who are using advanced assistive devices including robotic technologies. The competitions are comprised by different disciplines that apply the most modern powered knee prostheses, wearable arm prostheses, powered exoskeletons, powered wheelchairs, electrically stimulated muscles and novel brain-computer interfaces. The assistive devices can include commercially available products provided by companies, but also prototypes developed by research labs. There will be two medals for each competition, one for the pilot, who is driving the device, and one for the provider of the device. The event is organized on behalf of the Swiss National Competence Center of Research in Robotics (NCCR Robotics).

The main objectives of the Cybathlon are 1) to promote the development of novel assistive systems and reinforce the scientific exchange, 2) to improve the public awareness about the challenges and opportunities of assistive technologies, and 3)
to enable pilots with disabilities to compete in races, making this a unique event.

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In 21 countries across the globe, hundreds of people are preparing for Cybathlon 2016, where cutting edge robotic assistive technologies will help people with disabilities to compete in a series of races.

Cybathlon 2016 is organised by ETH Zurich and will showcase six disciplines: BCI Race Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Bike Race Powered Arm Prosthesis Race Powered Leg Prosthesis Race Powered Exoskeleton Race Powered Wheelchair Race

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We proudly present the Powered Exoskeleton Race in a video filmed at the Cybathlon rehearsal event in summer 2015. This video features team ReWalk who come from Germany.

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We proudly present the Powered Arm Prosthesis Race in a video filmed at the Cybathlon rehearsal event in summer 2015. This video features the team MASS Impact, who come from Canada.

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We proudly present the Powered Wheelchair Race in a video filmed at the Cybathlon rehearsal event in summer 2015. This video features the team Scalevo, who come from Switzerland.

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At the inaugural Cybathlon in October 2016, people with disabilities will use sophisticated technologies to compete in a variety of futuristic sporting events. It’s the first ever cyborg Olympics, in which the potential of human-machine collaborations will be on full display. In the bike race, athletes with paralyzed legs will use nerve stimulation systems to power up their dormant leg muscles and push their feet against the bike pedals.

"Feature BiomedicalBionics Get Ready for the World’s First Cyborg Olympics"
At the Zurich games, people with disabilities will use robotics to go for the gold

by Eliza Strickland
December 18, 2015

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Join the Brain Computer Interface (BCI) Race at the first International Cybathlon in October 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland. Organised by ETH Zurich, Cybathlon 2016 is a competition where cutting edge robotic assistive technologies will help people with disabilities to compete in a series of races.

We proudly present the Brain Computer Interface (BCI) Race in a video filmed at the Cybathlon rehearsal event in summer 2015. This video features the team WHi-BCI, who come from Italy.

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Join the Powered Wheelchair Race at the first International Cybathlon in October 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland. Organised by ETH Zurich, Cybathlon 2016 is a competition where cutting edge robotic assistive technologies will help people with disabilities to compete in a series of races.

We proudly present the Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Bike Race in a video filmed at the Cybathlon rehearsal event in summer 2015. This video features the team SydneyAustralia who come from Australia.

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Join the Powered Leg Prosthesis Race at the first International Cybathlon in October 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland. Organised by ETH Zurich, Cybathlon 2016 is a competition where cutting edge robotic assistive technologies will help people with disabilities to compete in a series of races.

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Human and machine become one for birth of the Cybathlon
Engadget R+D [presents Superhumans: Inside the world's first cyborg games - Episode 1

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He did the slalom so many times that he started to get bored. Go figure, he's walking for the first time in many years and already he's bored. "Okay Mark, challenge accepted. Tomorrow you're doing stairs."
Mark, who is paralyzed, is training for the Cybathlon. The Slalom is one of the 6 tasks. In this video, the overhead tether is only to catch Mark if he loses his balance. He is operating on battery power and controlling the exoskeleton with button presses with his right hand.

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Team Cleveland's implanted technology has helped people with spinal cord injuries stand, walk and ride bikes again. Now, they're hoping to win the gold in the Functional Electrical Stimulation bike race at the Cybathlon:

"A bike accident left him paralyzed; electricity let him ride again"
Superhumans: Inside the world's first cyborg games - Episode 2

by Mona Lalwani
September 20, 2016

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Superhumans: Inside the world's first cyborg games - Episode 3
Lukas Kalemba from Ossur (Iceland) and Claudia Breidbach from Touch Bionics (Scotland/Germany) will use powered prosthetics at the Cybathlon in Zurich next month.
Lukas will pilot an experimental prototype to compete in the leg prosthetics race, while Claudia will showcase a multi-articulating bionic hand in the arm prosthetics race:

"Powered prosthetics turn mundane tasks into monumental feats"
Superhumans: Inside the world's first cyborg games - Episode 3

by Mona Lalwani
September 27, 2016

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This is a practice run of the full Cybathlon Powered Exoskeleton Course. IHMC will be competing in the Powered Exoskeleton Race on October 8, 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland. The race consists of 6 tasks with a 10-minute time limit. We are skipping one of the tasks, so this video shows only 5. Mark, our, pilot, who is paralyzed with a spinal cord injury, is fully controlling the exoskeleton. The tether is only for fall protection and to log controller data. The total time to complete the 5 is 8:54.

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