CYBATHLON – moving people and technology

CYBATHLON, a non-profit project of ETH Zurich, sees itself as a platform that challenges development teams around the world to develop assistive technologies suitable for everyday use with and for people with disabilities. CYBATHLON is driven by international competitions and events. Here, teams from universities, companies and NGOs face various everyday tasks with their latest assistance technologies. The participating people with physical disabilities demonstrate how to tie shoes with a robotic prosthetic arm, climb up and down a ladder with a prosthetic leg or overcome uneven terrain with an exoskeleton, for example.

From 25 to 27 October 2024, the third edition of the CYBATHLON will take place in a global format at the stimo arena in Kloten near Zurich and at local hubs around the world. Two  disciplines have been added to the original six on the Road to 2024: A race with intelligent visual assistance technologies for blind people and a race with assistive robots for people with severe arm and leg impairments.

At Scientifica 2023, you will learn more about the possibilities and limits of technical assistance systems and which technologies are already contributing to a world that includes more and more people with disabilities in everyday life. Trying things out for yourself is expressly encouraged.

The aim of the CYBATHLON is to promote dialogue and break down barriers between the public, people with disabilities and technology developers, thus contributing to the inclusion of people with disabilities. In doing so, it aims to raise awareness of the everyday challenges faced by people with disabilities. At the same time, the possibilities and limitations of assistive technologies will be highlighted in order to create a comprehensive understanding of their potential.