The CYBATHLON 2020 Global Edition is history. Due to the Covid-​19 pandemic, the teams had to compete in different time zones and locations. And out of the 50 teams participating, one in four teams were using maxon products.

Cybathlon: A Success for the Maxon Teams
Cybathlon: A Success for the Maxon Teams

Article from | maxon group

The second edition of the CYBATHLON concluded on November 13/14, 2020. 50 teams from 20 countries competed against one another in the CYBATHLON 2020 Global Edition, with the pilots solving day-to-day tasks with the aid of state-of-the-art assistance systems. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the teams competed in their own countries, in a specially designed «lockdown mode.» Until the races were broadcast in the live stream, the results stayed a secret – even to the teams themselves. The viewing audience was therefore able to witness many emotional moments of victory on computer and mobile phone screens.

Maria Fossati from the team SoftHand Pro. They use a maxon drive in their prosthetic hand.
 

There were six disciplines: In the virtual race using a braincomputer interface (BCI), a bicycle race with electrical muscle stimulation (FES), and an obstacle course with arm prostheses (ARM), leg prostheses (LEG), robotic exoskeletons (EXO), or motorized wheelchairs (WHL). The six disciplines were expanded to include new challenges with relevance for daily life – reflecting the technical progress made in recent years. For example, the pilot in the wheelchair discipline now had to open a door using a robotic arm. In the obstacle course for arm prostheses, there was a «haptic box» in which the competitor had to identify the shape of an object by touch.

Roland Sigrist, director of the CYBATHLON, said, «The teams in the CYBATHLON are not only fighting for victory, but also for progress in assistance technologies for people with disabilities.» That is exactly where the partnership with maxon is vital. Out of the 50 teams participating, one in four teams were using maxon products. Five of them even made it onto the podium. This was a big success for maxon. We are very proud to be a partner of such a significant project, which is now into its third round. The next CYBATHLON will take place in 2024 – once again in Switzerland.

Christian Rusterholz from the team Scewo at the door obstacle.
 
The content & opinions in this article are the author’s and do not necessarily represent the views of RoboticsTomorrow
maxon group

maxon group

maxon is a leading supplier of high-precision DC brush and brushless servo motors and drives. These motors range in size from 4 - 90 mm and are available up to 500 watts. We combine electric motors, gears and DC motor controls into high-precision, intelligent drive systems that can be custom-made to fit the specific needs of customer applications.

Other Articles

How Parvalux Is Helping to Develop the Next Generation of Conveyor Systems
Conveyor systems are central to most warehouse operations, and without regular maintenance, downtime can prevent a warehouse from functioning which obviously has a large financial impact.
Robots speeding up material handling
With omnidirectional movement and smart docking with virtually any warehouse cart in under 20 seconds, these new robots are making material handling faster and safer.
The rise of modular robots and the importance of drive train design
As part of an in-house robot build, optimizing the drive train that powers and controls each joint is vital to the robot’s performance. The most effective way of achieving this is by developing the drive train as a complete module.
More about maxon group

Comments (0)

This post does not have any comments. Be the first to leave a comment below.


Post A Comment

You must be logged in before you can post a comment. Login now.

Featured Product

Midwest Motion Products is a leading provider of robust and reliable Motion Control Products.

Midwest Motion Products is a leading provider of robust and reliable Motion Control Products.

MMP specializes in supplying high-quality Brushed & Brushless DC Motors & Gearmotors for Robotics and Automation Equipment with a wide range of motor windings and gear ratios. With an impressive track record of more than 8,000 released DC Gearmotors designs and over 2,000,000 individual part numbers, we are renowned for our ability to handle large-scale orders. Due to our huge on-hand inventory, we are also well known for lightning-fast delivery of our standard products. We take pride in our dedicated customer service and our team of knowledgeable sales and engineering experts who are ready to assist you with custom design solutions tailored to your specific application. Additionally, we also offer a wide range of complimentary products, such as DC Motor Controls, DC Linear Actuators, AC-DC power Supplies, and DC Servo Amplifiers and others.