On 8 October 2016, the world’s first Cybathlon took place in Zurich, Switzerland. The event, organised by ETH Zurich with NCCR Robotics as presenting sponsor, offered the opportunity for people with disabilities to work with technology providers to create solutions that would help them to complete a series of tasks of daily life.

Teams were invited to compete in one of six disciplines, BCI Race, FES Bike Race, Powered Arm Prosthesis Race, Powered Leg Prosthesis Race, Powered Exoskeleton Race and Powered Wheelchair Race and 400 contestants took part in one of the races.

If you weren’t able to attend the Cybathlon in person, or want a look back, this video from the organisers is the next best thing.

In our privileged position as presenting sponsor we are also proud to have NCCR Robotics represented by two teams: In the Powered Arm Prosthesis Race, by the team LeMano, and in the Brain Computer Interface (BCI) race, by the team EPFL Brain Tweakers.

LeMano is a team from EPFL, which recently pioneered natural feeling restoration in people with upper limb amputations through functioning artificial arms – in fact, you may have read about them back in 2014 when they first published the results of their Lifehand2 bionic hand. LeMano are currently expanding their technology and testing it with new patients. For the Cybathlon they have developed new control algorithms in order to enable more accurate and easier control of the prosthesis, to help with the precise and adaptive object manipulation required for the Cybathlon tasks, e.g. hanging up washing on a clothes line. Their pilot is called Almerina, a proud wife and mother who wants to help society by giving her time to testing of innovative technologies, which she hopes will be an everyday reality in the future. Team is leaded by Stanisa, and composed by Giacomo, Ivo and Francesco.

The goal of LeMano is to show that a non-athlete can participate and complete tasks in such a competition. This would really show that their technology is not only for Super Heroes, but for all persons with disabilities.

Attend the Cybathlon in person or watch along live on the Cybathlon website to cheer along for LeMano!

If you liked this article, you may also want to read:

• Virtual race: Competing in Brain Computer Interface at Cybathlon
• New video shows bionic athletes rehearsing for upcoming Cybathlon competition
• Cybathlon: A bionics competition for people with disabilities
• Meet the pilots preparing for Cybathlon: Claudia Breidbach
• Robohub roundtable: Cybathlon and advancements in prosthetics

See all the latest robotics news on Robohub, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

This week the world’s first Cybathlon will take place in Zurich, Switzerland. Cybathlon is the brainchild of NCCR Robotics co-director and ETH Zurich professor Robert Riener, and is designed to facilitate discussion between academics, industry and end users of assistive aids, to promote the position of people with disabilities within society and to push development of assistive technology towards solutions that are suitable for use all-day, every day.

In our privileged position as presenting sponsor we are also proud to have NCCR Robotics represented by two teams: In the Brain Computer Interface (BCI) race, by the team EPFL Brain Tweakers, and in the Powered Arm Prosthesis Race, by the team LeMano.

The BCI race is a virtual race, whereby the pilots use BCIs to control an avatar running through a computer game – the pilots may only use their thoughts as no other commands (e.g. head movements) will affect the actions of the avatar. As the Brain Tweakers are a team of researchers representing the Chair in Brain-Machine Interface (CNBI) laboratory led by Prof. José del R. Millán at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne and NCCR Robotics, they jumped at the chance to participate in this race, which plays to their experience and expertise. Indeed, the focus of their research is on the direct use of human brain signals to control devices and interact with the environment around the user.

At Cybathlon, the Brain Tweakers will race with two pilots, 30-year-old Numa Poujouly and 48-year-old Eric Anselmo, both of whom have been practicing over the summer during weekly and bi-weekly two hour sessions. The BCI system that they will use translates brain patterns, as captured in real-time by Electroencephalography (EEG, a completely safe, non-invasive and minimally obtrusive approach), into game commands.

This is possible by means of what is called a Motor Imagery (MI) BCI. EEG signals (i.e., electrical activity on the user’s scalp, which occurs naturally in everyone as part of the process of using one’s brain), which are monitored through 16 electrodes placed in specific locations on the pilot’s head. Distinct spatio-spectral cortical patterns (patterns of brainwaves) are known to emerge and persist when someone either makes or thinks about making a movement (i.e., movements of the hands, arms and/or feet). It is this pattern of brainwaves when a person imagines making a movement that makes this technology usable by and attractive to people with severe disabilities. These cortical patterns are not only specific to which limb is being thought about, but also tend to be fairly user-specific. Therefore the first of the objectives of the sessions that the team have been using to train this summer have been to identify the MI tasks that are “optimal” (i.e., more easily distinguishable) for each of the two pilots. These then feed into a set of processing modules, consisting of signal processing and machine learning algorithms, that allow the online, real-time detection of the type of movement being executed. The latter is straightforwardly translated into a predetermined command to the pilot’s avatar in the game (speed-up, roll, slide).

While BCI technology is not in and of its self very new, what the Brain Tweakers hope will give them the winning edge is this introduction of machine learning techniques. For the Brain Tweakers, the Cybathlon provides an excellent opportunity for their team to rapidly advance and test their research outcomes in real-world conditions, exchange expertise and foster collaborations with other groups, as well as to push BCI technology out of the lab to provide practical daily service for end-users in their homes.

Attend the Cybathlon in person or watch along live on the Cybathlon website to cheer along for the Brain Tweakers.

If you liked this article, you may also want to read:

• New video shows bionic athletes rehearsing for upcoming Cybathlon competition
• Cybathlon: A bionics competition for people with disabilities
• Meet the pilots preparing for Cybathlon: Claudia Breidbach
• Robohub roundtable: Cybathlon and advancements in prosthetics

See all the latest robotics news on Robohub, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Claudia Breidbach is pilot with Touch Bionics in the Powered Arm Prosthesis Race. When Claudia isn’t preparing for the Cybathlon, she can be found competing with her skydiving team, KARMA.

Tell us a bit about yourself, where do you live? How old are you?

I am Claudia Breidbach. I am 45 years and live in Koblenz, Germany. I was born without my left arm but this has never stopped me in perusing my dreams. I am a sports enthusiast, always happy, fun, content and ambitious person that isn’t afraid of challenges. I love to inspire and motivate others to do better. I am also a certified skydiver with my 4-way team KARMA with whom I was able to take part at the 2015 German Skydiving Championship.

Credit: Claudia Breidbach

Claudia with the team. Credit: NCCR

How / when did you first hear about the Cybathlon?

I first heard about the Cybathlon during the Swiss Handicap Exhibition in Switzerland in 2014.

What was your motivation to get involved?

I have a variety of things that motivate me to take part. Firstly I want to show what is possible nowadays thanks to amazing technology and want to motivate as many people as possible to thrive for more. I set my goal at finishing every task with the correct posture and grips. Also, I am a highly motivated and ambitious person who loves challenges but the biggest motivation is that there was NO woman in the Category of Powered Arm Prosthesis and this was an absolute no go.

Which race are you competing in?

Powered Arm Prosthesis Race

How did you get involved with your technology team?

Since discovering Touch Bionics and their great technology in 2010 I followed the developments and in 2014 I started working with Touch Bionics as an Ambassador in my leisure time. In October 2014 I was able to fulfil another dream, to work in a field close to my heart, when I started as Training Manager for Germany for Touch Bionics.

Do you have a long standing relationship with them or are you new to each other?

Yes, my first contact was established when I visited the OT World exhibition in Leipzig in 2010 with my Technician. I saw the prosthesis and knew that this was my hand. I finally received my first Touch Bionics hand, then the i-limb^TM pulse in 2011 and had my upgrade at the beginning of 2014. At this time I also started to work with Touch Bionics as their ambassador and was blessed to take part at many exhibitions like the CeBit 2014 where I met England’s then Prime Minister David Cameron and our Chancellor Angela Merkel and shook their hands – the left hand of course! During this time I met Bert (Pot, also competing in the Powered Arm Prosthesis Race for Touch Bionics) and since then we have established a strong working relationship during various events and have become friends. In October 2014 decided to change my career and quit my job as an architect at the City of Koblenz to work as Training Manager at Touch Bionics’ German office. In June 2015 work supplied me with an i-limb^TM quantum ‘Extra Small’ for training purposes; this is the hand that I am allowed to showcase at the Cybathlon 2016.

How is this relationship working? Have you started training with the technology yet? How often do you see each other?

The relationship has thrived and evolved over time to a strong connection – it has become my life. My daily activities offer me many possibilities to improve my skills and bring me new challenges to master. Bert and I started training in May and meet up every now and again to check on grip positions and decide on a game plan for the Cybathlon. We work together, it makes us stronger and we will reach our goal. This is our Team spirit.

What are you most looking forward to about the Cybathlon and what do you hope to get out of the experience?

I look forward to meeting other pilots and companies as well as interested people and make new contacts. I hope to showcase to people what it means to master life with a prosthesis and to gain a new and valuable experience. I also want to show what is possible today with technology.

If you liked this article, you may also want to read:

• Cybathlon: A bionics competition for people with disabilities
• New video shows bionic athletes rehearsing for upcoming Cybathlon competition
• Exoskeletons: From helping people walk to controlling robots in space
• Body-enhancing exoskeletons could be stepping into industrial trials next year
• Are skintight suits the future of robotic exoskeletons?
• Robots Podcast #215: Human 2.0: Exoskeletons and Orthoses, with Hugh Herr

See all the latest robotics news on Robohub, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Cybathlon provides a platform for the development of novel assistive technologies that are useful for daily life. There are races for athletes with powered arm and leg prostheses, for those wearing a robotic exoskeleton, and for powered wheelchairs. There’s also a race for cyclists using electrical muscle stimulation and a brain-computer interface race.

On the day, there will be experts and moderators to present the events along with hands-on-demos so that visitors can try out some of the technologies on show at Cybathlon.

Through the organisation of the Cybathlon, we want to remove barriers between people with disabilities, the public and technology developers.

Credit: ETH Zurich / Alessandro Della Bella

In 21 countries across the globe, hundreds of people are preparing for Cybathlon 2016, where cutting edge robotic assistive technologies will help people with disabilities to compete in a series of races. This summer the Cybathlon practice session took place at the Swiss Arena in Kloten so that the teams could test out the courses. Watch the trailer for the rehearsal games!

Cybathlon 2016 is organised by ETH Zurich and will showcase six disciplines:

• BCI Race Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Bike Race
• Powered Arm Prosthesis Race
• Powered Leg Prosthesis Race
• Powered Exoskeleton Race
• Powered Wheelchair Race

The finals will take place on October 8, 2016.

Find out more at www.cybathlon.com

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

• Exoskeleton with haptic sensors helps paralysed man to kick off World Cup
• Novel robots for gait and arm rehabilitation: Interview with Robert Riener
• Control strategies for active lower extremity prosthetics and orthotics
• Registration now open for Cybathlon 2016
• Noonee: The chairless Chair

See all the latest robotics news on Robohub, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

By: Vanessa Bleich
Next year’s Cybathlon will host people with physical disabilities equipped with advanced assistive devices including robotic technologies. The goal of this unique competition is to remove barriers between people with physical disabilities, researchers and the general public and to promote the development of assistive technologies that are useful for daily life. We talked to Robert Riener, the Cybathlon’s main organizer and Professor of Sensory-Motor Systems at ETH.

Robert Riener is the initiator and organizer of the Cybathlon. (Photo: ETH Zurich / Giulia Marthaler)

You are the initiator and main organizer of the Cybathlon. How did the idea for this event come about?
As a researcher, I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to present my research to the general public. A few years ago, I read an article in the newspaper about a man who climbed the stairs at the Willis Tower in Chicago using a motorised prosthetic leg. It inspired me to think about a similar event that could be held here in Switzerland – an event that would extend beyond a single race to include many other disciplines. Through talks with colleagues and employees, I gradually developed the idea further. I also thought increasingly about what exactly we wanted to communicate and achieve with this event.

What do you hope to achieve through the Cybathlon?
Our original idea, which was to present our research findings to a wider public, of course remains a goal that we continue to pursue. But we would also like to raise people’s awareness of the needs of people with physical disabilities and the obstacles they face in everyday life. Unfortunately, many people without disabilities know very little about the challenges faced today by people with physical disabilities. Alongside technical assistance, for example, accessibility is also extremely important. We believe this knowledge, in turn, can break down more barriers.

Besides overcoming reservations about the field, we want to motivate developers to create technologies that provide real support to people in daily life. That is why the races feature everyday obstacles, such as stairs, ramps and doors. We hope Cybathlon’s competitive nature will boost the development of powered assistive technology in the long term. It’s already having a positive impact: new student groups have been formed and research projects have emerged. Both students and researchers are working at full speed on their prototypes.

What are the main difficulties when developing electrically powered devices?
The weight-performance relationship is one of the greatest challenges. For example, if you want to build a wheelchair that climbs stairs, it must be wider for stability reasons. When combined with the additional mechanics and propulsion system, it’s automatically heavier. The same goes for the development of the exoskeleton. The integrated batteries must be very efficient to allow the wearer to move freely and independently throughout the day, but these batteries weigh a lot.

Cybathlon

The Cybathlon will take place on 8 October 2016 at the Swiss Arena in Kloten. People with varying degrees of disability, aided by cutting-edge assistive technology, will participate in the unique competition. A team is comprised by a technology provider and at least one pilot who directs the technological device. As a result, two medals await each winning team at the Cybathlon: one for the parathletes and another for the provider. The technological device that is deployed can either be a product that is already available on the market or a prototype from a research lab.

The competition features six different disciplines:

• Powered leg prosthesis race
• Powered arm prosthesis skills course
• Powered exoskeleton obstacle course
• Powered wheelchair race
• Functional electrical stimulation bike race
• Brain-computer interface virtual race

Robert Riener, head of ETH Zurich’s Sensory-Motor Systems Lab, is the initiator and main organizer of the Cybathlon.

Are there other challenges besides the power supply?
While the performance data for the powered leg prosthesis is already very good, the control is more problematic. The wearer’s intended movements must be correctly conveyed to the leg prosthesis. This means that the prosthesis should automatically detect what the person wants to do, be it standing up, sitting down or climbing stairs. This is less of a problem when it comes to conventional, passive prostheses because the wearer intuitively propels them by moving or swaying.

What is the current state of research in the area of powered assistive technology?
The technology is already quite advanced today in some areas. For example, it is now possible to run quicker with certain leg prostheses than a human with natural legs could. But such prostheses are only helpful for specific movements. You may be able to walk quickly, but not be able to sit down, walk up stairs, or drive a car. Most of the available aids have significant deficits with regards to everyday functions and potential users have therefore failed to embrace them. This is where the idea behind the Cybathlon comes in: systems need to be developed that provide help to people with disabilities where they need it the most – in daily life.

How does the Cybathlon differ from other competitions such as the Paralympics?
People with disabilities can participate and compete in both events. The Paralympics, however, is primarily a sporting competition. Technology remains in the background and the use of motorised wheelchairs or powered prostheses is not permitted. As a result, many people are unable to compete. At the Cybathlon, on the other hand, «pilots» with greater restrictions who primarily direct the technical aids – are also eligible to participate. Although people are at the centre of our event, technology also plays a relatively large role.

The Paralympics are focused on sporting disciplines. In addition to races honouring the athlete who reaches the finish line first, the Cybathlon competition also includes skills and obstacle courses featuring everyday tasks and barriers. It’s not only the time that counts; pilots also receives points for their skills. Just like in classic sporting events, competition drives both the pilots and the technology developers at the Cybathlon. They inspire each other to deliver their best performance.

What has the response been to the planned event up until now?
There’s been a great deal of interest in the event. We have received very positive feedback from the scientific community, the media and well-known Swiss organisations for the disabled. The disability associations share our view that the Cybathlon could contribute to the development of current devices. Some critics, however, argue that these sorts of efforts should be focused exclusively on making buildings and the environment barrier-free. But the world does have barriers and you can’t just make them disappear – there are hills, forest paths and so forth. Researchers are developing technologies so they no longer pose obstacles in the future.

• Novel robots for gait and arm rehabilitation: Interview with Robert Riener
• Introducing the Cybathlon
• Registration now open for Cybathlon 2016

See all the latest robotics news on Robohub, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Knee orthosis as worn by first author Mike Tucker (photo: ReLab, ETHZ and Alain Herzog).

Much has been made of the numerous advances in robotic prosthetics and orthotics (P/O) over recent years, and the question of how to control these devices so that they work in accordance with the intention of the user is a continuing dilemma for roboticists. 

A team from four labs within NCCR Robotics, across ETH Zurich and EPFL (ReLab, ETH Zurich; LSRO, EPFL; SMS, ETH Zurich and CNBI, EPFL) have recently published a joint paper in the Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation, in which 10 experts from the field review the state of the art in control approaches for active lower limb P/Os. They argue that for P/Os to be fully viable and to advance further, they must be treated as part of a framework whereby the control system becomes integrated with the user’s sensorimotor system.

Traditionally, the fields of orthotics and prosthetics have been viewed separately, with hardware and controllers developed with a specific portion of the body in mind (i.e. knee, ankle and hips). By taking a broad survey that includes research for all joints of the lower limbs across the different fields (rather than just looking at a small subset), it is hoped that future developments can blur the lines between fields and create technologies that can ultimately restore walking to those with physical or neurological impairments.

This open access review pieces together where the state of the art is now and what work still needs to be done, providing valuable background about the field.

The authors behind the paper have been working to enhance communication between research groups, and to promote a more holistic approach to P/O devices. One of the co-authors is organizing next year’s Cybathlon, where teams comprised of bionic technology developers and a pilot will compete in one of six races.The competition’s ultimate aim is to increase discussion between academia, industry and end users through friendly competition.

Full registration for the Cybathlon, a sporting event for disabled athletes using robotic assistive technologies is now open. The event will take place in Zurich, Switzerland on 8^th October 2016.

Technological teams and pilots are encouraged to make use of earlybird registration, which is now open until 31.12.2014. A team must be comprised of a technology provider and a pilot, however teams without pilots and pilots without teams are invited to contact the Cybathlon organisational team, who will be happy to put together collaborations.

http://youtu.be/U9wVgi-em9s

The Cybathlon is organised in six races: arm prosthesis, BCI, FES bike, leg prosthetic, powered exoskeleton and powered wheelchair. A series of new videos aimed at introducing the concepts to the general public have been published on the Cybathlon Youtube channel – you can watch these videos below.

The finalised rules and regulations for the event have also been published on the website, including information on the types of allowed devices, the inclusion criteria for both technologies and pilots and information about each race and the obstacles which will allow teams to move into the next stage of development in preparation for the event.

We look forward to seeing pilots, technology providers and keen spectators in Zurich in 2016!

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

• Introducing the Cybathlon
• Meet the winners of Robot Launch 2014
• Winners of euRathlon 2014 sea competition recap: Day 3, 4 and 5
• 3D printed robotic prosthetic hand makes Intel finals

See all the latest robotics news on Robohub, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.

As we have been enjoying amazing scenes from Sochi, Russia where disabled athletes have been completing in the winter Paralympics, researchers in Switzerland have been considering a new route for athletes for whom normal devices such as prosthetic feet and modified wheelchairs are not suitable. For these athletes, robotic technology that can interface with the user, such as powered exoskeletons, may be better adapted to allow fair and exciting competitions.

On 8th October 2016 Zurich, Switzerland will host the Cybathlon, a championship for athletes using robotic assistive devices. Teams consisting of one or more “pilots” and a technology provider (academia or industry) will compete in one of six disciplines:

• Brain Computer Interface (BCI) race: BCIs will be used to enable pilots to control avatars in a racing game on a computer screen.
• Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) bike race: FES devices will be used to help pilots with complete spinal chord injuries to perform pedaling movements, thus enabling a short bike race to take place on a circular track.
• Leg prosthetics race: Amputees fitted with actuated exoprosthetic devices will compete in a short obstacle course.
• Powered exoskeleton race: Actuated exoskeleton devices will enable pilots with complete spinal chord injuries to complete a short obstacle course.
• Powered wheelchair race: Pilots will steer powered wheelchairs around an obstacle course.
• Arm prosthetics race: Actuated exoprosthetic hands and arms will be used by pilots to complete a coordination race.

Each race has its own set course complete with obstacles and activities (e.g. sitting and standing) that have been specially designed to test the compatibility of prosthetics with their pilot.

Teams will work together in advance of the race to create assistive devices that are functional and practical for the specially designed courses, and it is hoped that not only will the event deepen relations between the disabled and research robotics community, but also strengthen ties between research in industry and academia.

This event will open up athletics to individuals who had previously been barred by the rules governing prosthetics in international sport. One key group are those suffering from motor conditions where reflexes and control of limbs may not be sufficient to allow individuals to have the competitive edge over rivals. To enable participation of this group any robotic assistance is allowed, the only limits are that devices must be controlled by the wearer and carry their own power supply.

Sport is commonly understood to be a great unifier, and the organisers at NCCR Robotics in Switzerland see no reason why this can’t be extended to groups who have not been previously included.

Register to become a pilot or technological team and learn all the details on the Cybathlon website. or see the Cybathlon’s Facebook for regular updates. Please note that pilots and technological teams do not need to know each other before the competition – organisers will pair up those who enter alone. Bursaries covering travel expenses will be made available for pilots and academic teams on application.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in:

• Robot Launch 2014: The first global startup competition for robotics is here!
• Announcing the new Drone Social Innovation Award
• Flying Donkey Challenge

See all the latest robotics news on Robohub, or sign up for our weekly newsletter.