The Cybathlon gets going
Sixty-seven teams from all continents are getting ready for the Cybathlon 2016. During this summer’s practice session, the teams tested out the courses that have been designed to resemble everyday tasks. The clips for the official Cybathlon trailer were taken from this test session.
The competitors, their teams and the various disciplines will be introduced in the coming weeks on ETH Zurich's social media channels (#SupportThePilots). Their stories and the sophisticated assistive technologies they use could not be more different – and yet they all pursue one common goal: victory in the Cybathlon 2016.
About the Cybathlon
The Cybathlon will be held on 8 October 2016 at the Swiss Arena in Kloten. The participants in this unique competition are people with disabilities, aided by cutting-edge assistive technologies. Each team is comprised of a technology developer and at least one pilot who directs the technological device. The assistive technologies used in the competition are either products already available on the market, or prototypes from research labs.
12 to 16 teams participate in each of the six different disciplines at the Cybathlon. There are courses with everyday challenges for people with powered leg prostheses, powered exoskeletons or powered wheelchairs, as well as an agility course for people with powered arm prostheses, a bike race with electric muscle stimulation and a brain-computer interface game (BCI) for quadriplegics.
The Cybathlon provides a platform to promote the development of assistive technologies that help people with disabilities in their everyday life. The Cybathlon also seeks to break down barriers between people with and without disabilities, and technology developers.