67 teams from around the world gathered at the Swiss Arena in Kloten recently to compete at CYBATHLON 2024. CYBATHLON is a non-profit ETH Zurich project that challenges international teams to develop assistive technologies suitable for everyday use with and for people with disabilities. It was previously held in 2016 and 2020.

Teams come together through a need for a specific assistive technology. Once a need has been identified, tech developers from universities, companies or NGOs group around a person with a corresponding disability who becomes the pilot of that technology – and who will actively participate in the project.

Each CYBATHLON team comprises the pilot, a trainer and the developers behind the specific technology. The competitions bring teams together to test which technology will best tackle eight different races. The disciplines are made up of specific tasks that people deal with every day: for example, vision assistance is used to tap numbers into a keypad; assistive robots help open drawers and pick things up; and an exoskeleton helps navigate an obstacle course of ramps, doors and steps.

The SWISS Arena is mission control for the international event. With three quarters of the teams on site in Kloten, the rest are competing at 8 local hubs throughout the world. The virtual aspect of CYBATHLON 2020, necessitated by the COVID19 pandemic, became a testing ground for today’s hybrid –  as the 8 hubs present their races onscreen in the arena for CYBATHLON 2024. The live footage from places like South Africa, Korea and Thailand complement the races taking place, adding an extra sense of excitement as their audiences join together with those in Kloten to cheer on the teams.

Assistive technology is advanced in some areas. You may think of the impressive-looking running blades used by athletes in competition, or the Scewo BRO stair-climbing wheelchair – which developed out of the first CYBATHLON in 2016. But there is still progress to be made.

“There is a discrepancy between society’s expectations, especially with regard to people with disabilities,” says Professor Dr Robert Riener from ETH’s Department of Health Sciences and Technology, and initiator of CYBATHLON. Thanks to the media and Hollywood movies, “people think we already have technology that works well in everyday life.” But while the foundation is there, assistive technology still needs a lot of fine tuning, which is why Riener founded CYBATHLON in 2013.

Just how much fine tuning that involves is demonstrated by the Exoskeleton Race. The technology that allows those with paraplegia to stand and walk is bulky, sometimes difficult to control and mostly dependent on crutches. The aim of all the teams in this category is improved manoeuvrability and comfort – and the elimination of the need for crutches. Improved exoskeleton technology would mean much more than just better mobility. Its resulting independence can lead to social well-being as users are able to reconnect with their communities.

While CYBATHLON competitions inspire the teams to improve their technologies and thereby the lives of their pilots and other people with disabilities , all participants have a single goal beyond merely winning a trophy. As the team leader of EPFL’s research group REHAssist, Dr. Tristan Vouga, puts it, “Teams do not compete against each other but all together against disability.” It’s about inclusion, enabling. The objective is to strengthen networks, to bring business and academia together for solutions that really work and will make a true difference to people all over the world.

Access to assistive technology is a critical need for nearly one billion children and adults with disabilities, highlighted the WHO and UNICEF Global Report on Assistive Technology. CYBATHLON, through its unique competition, helps address this need by offering researchers, engineers, and people with disabilities a platform to test and showcase innovative assistive technologies that are user-centred and affordable.

WHO and UNICEF report that access to essential assistive technologies, such as glasses, hearing aids, and mobility devices like prosthetics, exoskeletons and wheelchairs, is alarmingly low, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Only three per cent of those in need can access these life-changing technologies. The report predicts that by 2050, over 3.5 billion people will require one or more assistive products, up from 2.5 billion today. Immediate action from governments, industry, and civil society is necessary to fund and prioritise access to these products.

CYBATHLON’s Contribution

The Global Report on Assistive Technology challenges us to build a more inclusive society – and innovation can bridge gaps. CYBATHLON competitions are helping to develop better access to assistive technology. By fostering innovation, research, and development in collaborative environments CYBATHLON teams are demonstrating ground-breaking solutions for assistive technology. More specifically, CYBATHLON advances assistive technology through competitive events that challenge teams to develop practical and innovative solutions. These competitions drive research and emphasise the importance of accessibility and usability. By involving pilots with disabilities in developing and testing these technologies, CYBATHLON ensures solutions are tailored to real-world needs.

Fabian Engel, team manager of Circleg (a CYBATHLON participating team), highlights their vision: “We want to use our skills as industrial designers to influence people’s lives and the environment.” Circleg’s prosthesis, made from recycled plastic waste, aims to offer a cost-effective solution for people in developing countries, enabling them to live with self-determined mobility despite leg amputation.

Team Touch Hand from South Africa, preparing to participate in the Arm Prosthesis Race at CYBATHLON 2024, specialises in mechanised prosthetics and aims to make low-cost prosthetics available to the public and affordable for low-income houses. “Using the additive manufacturing process – industrial 3D printing, the team is developing the customizability of the prosthetic hand and creating a modular, mechanical design. The design will be simple, lightweight, cost-effective, and manageable to enable its amputee pilot to carry out simple tasks comfortably,” says the team manager Professor Riaan Stopforth.

The CIERVO team from Chile focuses on creating low-cost, functional assistive technology for public healthcare systems. They aim to enhance prosthetic movements with automatic control, improving comfort and adaptability for users. Participating in CYBATHLON 2024, the team aims to show that innovative technology can be both affordable and accessible, demonstrating that quality and functionality can be achieved at reduced costs to benefit a wider population. Their commitment is to improve the daily lives of people with disabilities.

Team Pilots’ Personal Stories Highlight the Impact

The transformative power of assistive technology is illustrated by individuals like Adrian Bak, a pilot for the Contur 2000 Leg Prosthesis Race team, who lost his left leg in a traffic accident, and Dr. Jaimie Borisoff, a BCIT MAKE+ team pilot who sustained a spinal cord injury from a road accident. Their experiences underscore the profound impact of assistive technology on education, sports, community involvement, and employment. Adrian’s journey from accident survivor to electrical engineer in prosthetics exemplifies the potential of assistive technology to change lives and de-stigmatize disability. Dr. Borisoff holds a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering and now his research focuses on how technology development improves accessibility and mobility for people with spinal cord injury. His work focuses on expanding patients’ ability to interact more fully with others, the environment, and their world.

Ian Thomson, a 29-year-old pilot for the NWU Eagles CYBATHLON Leg Prosthesis Race team from South Africa, exemplifies resilience and innovation. After losing his leg in a motorcycle accident at 16, Ian embraced modern prosthetic technology and an active lifestyle. Now the head technical lead and designer on his team, Ian envisions a future where prosthetics are seamlessly integrated into users’ lives, tailored to their unique needs.

The Role of CYBATHLON @school

CYBATHLON @school integrates the principles of the CYBATHLON competition into educational settings, inspiring and educating the next generation of innovators. This initiative engages students in developing and understanding assistive technologies through hands-on activities and interactive learning, helping to:

• Raise awareness about the challenges faced by people with disabilities
• Encourage empathy and inclusive thinking
• Foster creativity and problem-solving skills
• Bridge the gap between academic research and practical application

Barriers to Access and Way Forward

Barriers to accessing assistive technology include stigma, cost, and geographic distance. In developing countries, long travel distances and prohibitive costs prevent many from obtaining necessary devices. Approximately two-thirds of people with assistive products pay out-of-pocket, often relying on financial support from family and friends.

“Denying people access to these life-changing tools is an infringement of human rights and economically short-sighted,” said WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Assistive technology is a life changer – it opens the door to education, employment, social interaction, and an independent life of dignity.” He urges all countries to fund and prioritise access to assistive technology, allowing everyone to reach their potential.

The report calls for including assistive technology in universal healthcare coverage and emphasises a people-centred, rights-based approach. Engaging users in all aspects of assistive technology aligns with CYBATHLON’s mission to bridge the gap between technology developers and end-users, fostering an inclusive environment prioritising human rights and economic efficiency.

Conclusion

CYBATHLON’s efforts to promote and develop assistive technologies are vital in addressing the global challenge of accessibility. By showcasing innovative solutions and emphasising user-centred design, CYBATHLON paves the way for a more inclusive future where everyone can live up to their potential.

Join us in October for CYBATHLON 2024 to witness these groundbreaking technologies in action and support the movement towards greater accessibility for all.

In a world that strives for inclusivity and technological advancements, CYBATHLON @school emerges as a ground-breaking initiative designed to transform the way students think about science and technology. The project, operating under the umbrella of CYBATHLON at ETH Zurich, offers teaching modules and workshops centred around technology and inclusion. By promoting awareness and empathy, CYBATHLON @school aims to create a society that values and supports people with disabilities. The @school project not only imparts knowledge but also contributes to a change in thinking and sustainable equality in the long term.

Promoting Inclusion and Equality

One of the core objectives of CYBATHLON @school is to sensitise teachers, children and young people to the daily challenges faced by people with disabilities. Workshops and interactive teaching modules offer students a unique opportunity to witness the integration of science and technology into sports and daily life, thus broadening their horizons on the subject of inclusivity.

The project led and managed by Nina Kollegger, Head of CYBATHLON @school, emphasises the importance of two distinct workshops that the project offers. “The first type of workshop revolves around the “Flexo” elbow exoskeleton, specially designed for classroom use. Students get hands-on experience by wearing the exoskeleton, utilising various sensors to control it, and exploring the interaction between humans and technology. Through this activity, they gain insight into the challenges faced by people with spinal cord injuries (SCI) and learn to develop and test products as a team. The workshops often require collaboration among students to design and build functional solutions. This promotes teamwork, communication skills, and the ability to work effectively in a group – a valuable aspect of both education and future professional endeavours.

Focusing on the importance of the second type of workshop the project organises for children, Nina elaborates, “Children get an insight into an extraordinary sports module, which sensitises and inspires for inclusion and technology. By walking with a prosthetic leg, driving a wheelchair, completing a course for the blind or handling objects with a prosthetic arm, new movement experiences are made. Children also first-hand experience the challenges that people with disabilities face daily.”

Building Empathy Through Ambassadors

To achieve a deeper understanding of life with a disability and foster empathy, CYBATHLON @school invites ambassadors with physical disabilities to participate in the workshops. These individuals share their experiences and offer invaluable insights, providing tips and tricks to overcome perceived barriers. The direct interaction with ambassadors allows students to ask questions and learn about the use of assistive technologies, infrastructure, and the experience of inclusion in various aspects of life.

Empowering Students Through Learning Modules

The learning modules developed by CYBATHLON @school not only impart knowledge but also facilitate a paradigm shift in students’ perspectives, making a lasting contribution to equality and inclusion. Aligned with Curriculum 21 for Swiss Schools, the modules cover subjects such as ethics, medicine, law, inclusion, and sport, while inspiring enthusiasm for mathematics, computer science, natural science, and technology (STEM subjects), encouraging a problem-solving mindset. In addition to the modules, camps lasting several days are also offered for students which allow an intensive examination of the topics. CYBATHLON @school workshops can provide teachers with new tools, resources, and methodologies to integrate STEM concepts into their teaching practices. This can contribute to the professional development of educators and enhance the overall quality of STEM education in schools.

Furthermore, for the third edition of the CYBATHLON, we are extending an invitation to school classes to participate in our unique competition. All school classes that complete a module and submit a poster will automatically be enrolled in the contest and included in CYBATHLON 2024, taking place on Friday, October 25 at the Stimo Arena in Kloten. During the modules and our event, students will engage with the opportunities and limitations of technical prosthetic arms, guided by our ambassadors Gina Rühl and Michel Fornasier. Additionally, teachers and classes interested in delving deeper into the world of assistance systems can opt to book our STEM modules, which are facilitated by ETH students. The CYBATHLON @school contest aligns seamlessly with our STEM module series, available free of charge to participants following an evaluation process.

CYBATHLON @school contest powered by EKZ (In German)

Creating a Sustainable Impact

The CYBATHLON @school workshops, led by trained coaches from ETH Zurich, have a lasting impact on students by fostering critical thinking and problem-solving. Through hands-on experiments like designing grippers for Flexo exoskeletons, students gain awareness of challenges faced by people with disabilities, promoting social responsibility. This impact goes beyond immediate education, influencing individuals and society. The program instils a commitment to assistive technologies and inclusive design, enhancing STEM skills and fostering a mindset for real-world challenges. As students progress, the awareness and empathy developed contribute to a sustainable and inclusive approach to technology. This program changes the perceptions towards people with disabilities, and their daily challenges, and leaves a lasting legacy by shaping future leaders and innovators who prioritise technology for social good and inclusivity.

Conclusion

CYBATHLON @school stands as a beacon of hope and progress, cultivating an inclusive society that values diversity and technological innovation. Through its transformative workshops and teaching modules, the project empowers students to view science and technology as powerful tools for promoting equality and inclusivity. By fostering a generation of empathetic and knowledgeable innovators, CYBATHLON @school paves the way for a future where technology catalyses positive change, benefiting all members of society, regardless of their abilities.

In February 2024, the third and last CYBATHLON Challenges will take place on the Road to CYBATHLON 2024. Teams will compete against each other and showcase their current technology and the pilot’s skills in four selected tasks of their discipline of the CYBATHLON 2024 Races & Rules. The Challenges will be held in Zurich, Switzerland as well as decentrally at the teams’ homes.

Following the successful two staging of the new format in May 2022 and March 2023, we are now ready for the CYBATHLON Challenges for the third time. International teams of researchers and developers can register in all the disciplines until September 30, 2023, for the CYBATHLON Challenges on Friday, 2 February 2024. The special feature of this event is that for the first time, the tasks for each discipline will be taking place simultaneously in parallel with a minute difference in starting time. Moreover, this is the first Challenges where all the disciplines, thus, including the Brain-Computer Interface Race and the FES Bike Race will take place. The Challenges is of course the build-up on the Road to 2024 which is to take place in October 2024.

In CYBATHLON competitions, teams of researchers and developers and their pilots compete in solving everyday tasks with new assistance systems in the following eight disciplines: Arm and Leg Prosthesis Race, Wheelchair Race, Exoskeleton Race, Vision Assistance Race, Assistance Robot Race, Brain-Computer Interface Race and the Functional Electrical Stimulation Bike Race. “Teams around the world are working hard on their new assistive devices to be able to register for the CYBATHON Challenges in February 2024. Up to eight teams per discipline can participate. It is a first come, first served basis,” explains Roland Sigrist, who is the Co-Head and the Head of Competition at CYABTHLON. He emphasises that, “the CYBATHLON Challenges encourage the development teams to test their devices at an early stage to participate in the CYBATHLON 2024. The goal is to foster collaboration in the development process between the development teams and the pilots, i.e., the people with disabilities participating in the competition, from the very beginning.”

While in May 2022 the teams had to set up and solve one of the ten tasks and in March 2023 two of the ten tasks from the CYBATHLON 2024 Races & Rules at their competition site, in February 2024 each team must master four everyday tasks in most disciplines. For example, pilots must climb up and down a ladder in the Leg Prosthesis Race or navigate between pieces of furniture in a “crowd” represented by small robots in the Wheelchair Race. Each team has two attempts to complete all tasks in the shortest time possible. Six tasks of the brand-new brain-computer interface game must be solved in the BCI discipline. The team that solves both tasks at the best time wins. In the FES Bike Race, as a special discipline, the pilots need to cover 2000 m on a virtual racetrack on a smart trainer. The track has even some inclinations which is a new challenge compared to all previous CYBATHLON FES Bike Race competitions. The pilots who cover the distance fastest win the race.

Benefits

What are your benefits? By participating in the Challenges, you can:

• Demonstrate the progress and innovations your team has made and test where your performance is compared to the other teams
• Promote your team with new professional footage generated by CYBATHLON
• Increase external communication and visibility of your organization on social media, through this event, and expand your professional networks
• Tease your participation in the CYBATHLON movement and in the CYBATHLON 2024 (if you have registered or plan to register) and get your pilot involved
• Make a lasting impact, as by participating, you contribute to the ongoing development of assistive technology, working towards a more inclusive and empowered society

Challenges 2023

The CYBATHLON Challenges 2023 featured 15 teams from all over the world. The teams competed in the Challenges on March 29, with seven teams in the Arm Prosthesis Race, two teams each in the Wheelchair and Vision Assistance Races, three teams in the Robot Assistance Race, and one team competing in the Leg Prosthesis Race. Eight teams competed at the Zurich Hub in Winterthur and the remaining eight teams began their races from their own home Hubs in Italy, France, Spain, the US, China and Indonesia. Watch the highlight video here.

Challenges 2022

A total of nine teams participated in the May 2022 CYBATHLON Challenges – five in the Arm Prosthesis Race and two each in the Exoskeleton and Wheelchair Races. In the Arm Prosthesis Race, it will definitely be exciting again. The French team SmartArM, with pilot Christophe Huchet, the winner of the May 2022 Challenges, and the second-placed Swedish team e-Opra with Magnus Niska will meet for the second time and promise a dramatic head-to-head race.

The ETH/CYBATHLON booth was one of the most visited, interactive, and personalised booths. Inspired by this year’s theme of Inclusive Design, it focused on inclusive and user-centric designs in assistive technologies for people with disabilities. We succeeded in creating an immersive experience for visitors, displaying the everyday challenges and obstacles of people with disabilities. This made the work of CYBATHLON accessible and visible to a broad international audience as well as to the media

What do we know about the challenges that people with disabilities go through on a daily basis? How can technology and its design contribute to a self-determined and autonomous life and enhance inclusion in all spheres of life? In April 2023, I was part of the ETH Zurich and CYBATHLON exhibition at the Milano Design Week. As a first-time contributor to such a unique exhibition, I was impressed with the massive interest in our work. Within the week, we might have explained the Brian-Computer Interface (BCI) game about 700 times, instructing visitors how they could control and navigate a virtual car merely with their thoughts, i.e., by relaxing their brains or concentrating. We helped visitors with trying out demo prosthetics just as many times. “This is one of the best exhibitions I have seen this year” is what we heard often from the many visitors at the Milano Design Week 2023.

ETH Zurich has been organising exhibitions at Milano Design Week every year, collaborating with different departments or projects depending on each year’s theme. The 2023 Milano Design Week took place in April and ETH Zurich with CYBATHLON was present with its exhibition at the House of Switzerland, displaying inclusive and user-centric design in assistive technologies that are used by people with disabilities.

The Booth

Inspired by the theme of Inclusive Design, the exhibition’s specific focus was on assistive technologies for people with disabilities. Our booth was conceptualised and organised by CYBATHLON and ETH Zurich, with curation and design by Simone Bucher van Ligten, who works in Curation and Communication Projects at ETH Zurich. It was one of the most interactive and personalised exhibitions, with the idea of storytelling in mind. A welcoming video in sign language immediately primed visitors for the overarching theme of inclusive design and gave a quick overview of what awaited them as they would proceed further.

The booth was divided into different parts based on some of the CYBATHLON disciplines: Arm Prosthesis, Leg Prosthesis, Brain-Computer Interface (BCI), Exoskeleton, Wheelchair and Assistance Robot Races. The different parts then displayed information about assistive technologies available, with basic information and facts, portraits of people with disabilities who use these technologies on a daily basis and who have been pilots, with research and development teams, in the CYBATHLON competitions, as well as some inspiring personal stories about these pilots.

Hands-on Demos

How do you open a jar or cut a loaf of bread using a knife with your prosthetic hand at the breakfast table? How helpless do you feel when you cannot pick up a credit card or a coin or a key that has fallen on the floor with your prosthetic hand? How do you control and navigate a virtual vehicle on the monitor with just your thoughts? Or how do you go about navigating the streets with road construction and other obstacles when your eyes are blindfolded? To convey the challenges and obstacles that people with disabilities go through every day, we organised hands-on demos on Arm Prostheses, Brain-Computer Interfaces and Vision Assistance technologies. Maria Rosanna Fossati, one of the CYBATHLON Arm Prosthesis Race pilots from team SoftHand Pro, was present at the Hands-on Demo stations. It was inspiring to see how passionately Maria took the time to interact with each and every visitor and demonstrated how one could use a prosthetic hand.

Circleg

Our exhibition incorporated Circleg, a project founded in 2018, that partners with research centres like ETH Zurich to create affordable, sustainable, and high-quality leg prostheses. Circleg participated as one of the teams in the CYBATHLON 2020 Global Edition Leg Prosthesis Race, capturing the gold with their winning formula. In Milano, they demonstrated how a holistic approach to prosthetics drives inclusive design. Fabian Engel, one of the founders of the project, introduced and explained to our visitors a lower limb prosthetic that they have developed with recycled materials to specifically fit the needs of amputees in low and middle-income countries starting with East Africa. These low-cost and high-quality prosthetics increased the quality of life of amputees and their communities, allowing them access to new opportunities, from education, to work and social life.

The Visitors

The exhibition was visited by a diverse group of people from students, researchers and ETH Alumni to industry and government officials. We also welcomed media representatives, and as a highlight, the Swiss Ambassador to Italy. I am convinced we succeeded in creating an impressive experience for many people and in making Design and Inclusion, the everyday situation of people with disabilities and the work of CYBATHLON, accessible and visible to a broad international audience as well as to the media.