Cybathlon 2024 For a world without barriers

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From October 25 to 27, the third Cybathlon will take place at the Swiss Arena in Kloten—the largest international competition where people with disabilities overcome everyday tasks using newly developed assistive technologies. For this Cybathlon, the six existing disciplines have been further developed and supplemented by two new ones: a race featuring intelligent vision assistance technologies and with assistive robots.

Climbing stairs, brushing teeth, setting the table: all these activities can be challenging for people with physical disabilities. That is precisely why they are part of the competitions at the Cybathlon, where assistive technologies are used. These technologies help people with disabilities gain more independence and thus promote inclusion in society. ETH Zurich connects affected individuals ("pilots") with researchers through the Cybathlon to collaboratively find solutions. "Inclusion begins where we help to remove barriers to create equal opportunities for everyone. The Cybathlon motivates researchers worldwide to work more user-oriented," emphasizes ETH Professor Robert Riener, the initiator of the Cybathlon.

The idea behind the Cybathlon is to accelerate the development of assistive technologies through an international competition. Approximately 80 teams from 26 nations compete in eight different disciplines for medals. Competitors include both industry teams and university teams. Switzerland is represented by a total of eleven teams. ETH Zurich is particularly well represented: two teams are competing with their leg prostheses in the "LEG" discipline, while three other teams are participating with a visual aid, an assistive robot, and an exoskeleton.

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With two new disciplines at the start

For people with severe impairment or complete loss of vision, access to the most basic information from their environment is lacking. For the first time, a new discipline has been created specifically for such individuals and their needs. In the vision assistance race, new technologies such as an intelligent blind stick help convey important information about the surroundings to the competitors. The aim is for these competitors to be able to find a free seat in public transport, locate the correct product on a shelf, or distinguish colors during the race.

In the second new discipline, an assistive robot helps people with motor impairments to solve tasks. The competitors (pilots) work together with the robot to, for example, grab various objects under time pressure or navigate around obstacles. Robert Riener explains, "Assistive robots have promising potential to support people who have very little or no control over their arms and legs. That's why it was important for us to create a separate discipline for this purpose." In both disciplines, judging criteria first assess whether a task was completed correctly, and then, how quickly it was accomplished.

Competitions in Switzerland and worldwide

To make the Cybathlon itself as inclusive as possible, the event takes place simultaneously at nine locations worldwide, known as hubs. Teams can also replicate the courses locally to spare some competitors the strenuous journey. For example, the team "BeAGain" in South Korea is hosting their own Cybathlon and conducts the races simultaneously with the Cybathlon in the stadium in Kloten. Spectators with valid tickets can watch the competitions live on-site. For people with visual impairments, audio descriptions are available in English and German. For those with hearing impairments, the competitions are translated into German and International Sign Language.