Assistive technologies put to test at Cybathlon

Slicing bread in the morning, pouring a cup of coffee and sitting down at the kitchen table are a part of everyday life for most people. But for people with physical impairments such as amputated limbs, the tasks so many of us take for granted are are often difficult to accomplish without help. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 15% of the world's population is physically impaired to some degree. In order to overcome the hurdles of everyday life, many disabled people use assistive technologies. This is where the Cybathlon comes in: it aims to drive forward the development of these technologies in a fun and competitive environment.

Unlike events such as the Paralympics, the Cybathlon is aimed at non-athletes with physical impairments. The various courses are deliberately designed around day-to-day tasks.
“These technologies are already highly advanced in some areas,” explains Robert Riener, professor at ETH Zurich and Founder of the Cybathlon. “But if we judge them according to their suitability for everyday life, it becomes apparent that research and development still have a long way to go.”

The practice session was a great success both for the participating groups and the Cybathlon organisers, as it helped them to see what works well and what changes still need be made before 2016. They paid particular attention to the course design: the tasks need to be relevant to participants' daily lives, pose a challenge for the participating teams and create a competition that will engage spectators. During the practice session, there were significant differences between the five different disciplines: for example, participants were able to complete the obstacle course for motorised arm and leg prostheses with relative ease and speed. The competitors, known as pilots, successfully completed the balance beam challenge and set the table for breakfast. However, there were some difficulties with the electric wheelchairs: none of the four participating teams was able to complete all of the hurdles, and only one wheelchair was able to climb steps. Several prototypes exhibited a sort of ‘savant syndrome, in other words, they were able to complete one of the six course challenges particularly well, but have room for improvement in the other challenges.

The participating teams enjoyed sharing their experiences with other technology manufacturers and research groups. “The test run was an excellent opportunity to meet other researchers and to discuss common interests and possible co-operation,” explains Matjaz Mihelj from the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia.

But the Cybathlon is a competition too. Despite the friendly sharing of experiences and pursuit of a common goal, to provide disabled people with better assistive technologies in the future, the competitive spirit of the event was certainly not lacking. Luca Tonin from the University of Padua, Italy, also describes the importance of this reciprocal push among participants: “I believe that the Cybathlon will spur technology providers on to continue developing new solutions, in turn making it possible to set new standards in research.”

Ironically, the architectural barriers and obstacles in the stadium itself also put the organisers and participants to the test, making it apparent once again how they are fighting a battle on two fronts. “As researchers, we must push technology forward, but society as a whole must also dismantle structural and technical barriers,” Riener emphasises.