IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2017 - 24

FROM THE GUEST EDITORS

Cybathlon 2016: Showcasing Advances in
Assistive Technologies Through Competition
By Domen Novak, Peter Wolf, and Eugenio Guglielmelli

ssistive robotic devices have the
potential to improve human
lives in countless ways. People with weakened limbs
can use robotic exoskeletons to augment their strength, and amputees
can use powered prostheses to successfully perform most activities of
daily living. People with more severe
disabilities, such as tetraplegia, can
use robotic wheelchairs to remain
mobile or even use brain-computer
interfaces (BCI) to communicate
through electronic devices without
the need for motion.
However, although millions of
people worldwide rely on assistive devices, many of these devices lack
functionality and usability, leading to
poor acceptance and insufficient
support during everyday activities. As
part of an effort to promote the development of assistive technologies
and facilitate communication between
people with disabilities, technology
providers, and the public, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule
(ETH) Zürich launched a new event:
the Cybathlon. The first Cybathlon
was held in 2016 and included a scientific symposium as well as a competition for people with paralyzed or
missing limbs. The competition included six different disciplines: powered arm prosthesis (ARM) race, powered
leg prosthesis (LEG) race, powered
exoskeleton (EXO) race, Powered
wheelchair (WHL) race, functional
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MRA.2017.2757721
Date of publication: 13 December 2017

IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE

electrical stimulation bike (FES) race,
and a BCI race [1].
Recent technological advances in
all six disciplines were presented and
discussed by leading experts and
young researchers at the Cybathlon
Symposium on 6 October 2016. Two
days later, 66 pilots (Cybathlon competitors) from 56 teams (supporting
engineers, scientists, and health personnel) representing 25 nations competed in the six disciplines at a sold-out
stadium near Zürich, Switzerland.
More than 4,600 visitors cheered them
on enthusiastically. Media coverage
of the event resulted in more than
500 news articles (e.g., in The New York
Times, The Herald, Wired, and Yumiori
Shimbun), a dozen documentaries
(e.g., shown by BBC, CNN, NHK), and
more than 4,500 video reports by
teams, visitors, and media networks,
such as Engadget. Thus, the Cybathlon
showcased currently available assistive
technologies and new approaches in an
understandable and entertaining
manner for the public. The mission of
the Cybathlon is also described by its
initiator, Robert Riener, in the "History" column in this issue of IEEE Robotics and Automation.
The rules of the six Cybathlon disciplines were designed with the goal of
encouraging pilots and technology
providers to find versatile ways that
assistive devices can complete everyday tasks. The defined tasks were quite
varied: For example, in the ARM race,
one task was to prepare breakfast
(including slicing bread and opening a
bottle) while another was to hang up

DECEMBER 2017

laundry. Some tasks were particularly
designed to push the limits of the state
of the art. For instance, in the EXO
and WHL races, one task was to pass a
tilted ramp while another was to climb
stairs. In the four races where different
tasks have to be completed (i.e., ARM,
EXO, WHL, and LEG), the pilots were
primarily ranked according to the
number of completed tasks. In the FES
race, on the other hand, a distance of
742 m had to be covered within a time
limit of 8 min. Thus, the challenge was
to skillfully stimulate the muscles to
achieve a high speed without becoming overly fatigued, and pilots were
ranked according to the time needed
to cover the entire distance. In the BCI
race, four different commands could
be sent via the assistive device at specific moments to accelerate an avatar
in a racing game. BCI pilots were thus
again ranked according to the time
needed to cover the entire distance in
the racing game.
The participating pilots used a
variety of technological approaches.
Some trained with state-of-the-art
devices while others worked together
with their team to develop and test
new hardware or software solutions
that specifically addressed the challenges of the Cybathlon race. Eight of
these approaches are presented in the
articles of this special issue, with the
teams' designs complemented by
notes on the performance of the pilot
during the training and at the Cybathlon itself.
The WHL discipline is represented
by two articles. The first is by Podobnik,

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2017