On October 8, 2016 Switzerland will enter uncharted territory by hosting the first Cybathalon, a competition for humans with disabilities that rely on robotic assistive devices.
The competition will comprise six different disciplines that apply to modern-powered knee prostheses, wearable arm prostheses, powered exoskeletons, powered wheelchairs, electrically stimulated muscles and novel brain-computer interfaces.
People entered in the Olympics can wear both commercial devices and prototypes developed by research labs.
Two medals will be awarded for each competition in the Cybathalon. One will be granted to the person participating with the device and the other will go to the device’s creator.
Powered wheelchair course.
One of the events that will be featured is a brain-computer interface race for competitors who are paralyzed from the neck down. These players will be able to control an avatar in a computer racing game using a headset that connects the brain to the computer.
“We allow technology that has previously been excluded from the Paralympics. By making it a public event we want to get rid of the borders between patients, society and the technology community,” Professor Riener, event organizer from the University of Switzerland, told BBC News.
The purpose of the Cybathalon is to promote the development of novel assistive systems and improve public awareness of the challenges and opportunities of assistive technologies.
Watch the trailer below to get a taste of the action.
For more information about the Cybathalon and to learn more about the events that will take place visit the website.
All images via Cybathalon, D’Arc. Studio Associates Architects.
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