CYBATHLON is a competition for people with disabilities that happens – who are supported by the latest assistive technologies in various disciplines – compete against each other and solve everyday tasks. The event occurred at ETH Zürich this past October and the next event is being discussed to happen in Asia in 2028. Pulse 2.0 interviewed CYBATHLON co-head Roland Sigrist to learn more about the event.
Roland Sigrist’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Sigrist said:
“I studied Human Movement Sciences and was trained as a physical education teacher at ETH Zurich. From 2009 to 2014, I successfully completed his PhD studies focusing on complex motor learning with augmented feedback at the Sensory-Motor Systems Lab of Professor Robert Riener, the initiator of CYBATHLON of ETH Zurich. After finishing my studies, I took over the responsibility for the development and organisation of the CYBATHLON races of the first CYBATHLON (2016) as the Competition Director. From 2017 until 2022, I was the leading the project at ETH Zurich as the Head of CYBATHLON. Anni Kern and I were co-leading CYBATHLON since 2023.”
Favorite Memory
What has been your favorite memory working for the event so far? Sigrist reflected:
“My best memories are from the main events in 2016, 2020, and 2024. I loved to meet the team members and watch their performance. It was create to feel their dedication and give them a platform to showcase their achievements.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of your the event’s most significant milestones? Sigrist cited:
“The first CYBATHLON in 2016 was a milestone. The unique combination of technology, inclusion, and competition fascinated the teams, the public, and the audience. The BBC click moderator and many others called it a ‘once in a lifetime’ experience. Then, CYBATHLON 2020, where we created a remote, global competition within weeks, was another milestone. We created new technologies for broadcasting and producing such an event. This innovation allowed us to give the teams again a platform to present the latest assistive technologies they have been working on for months and years. Finally, CYBATHLON 2024, the biggest CYBATHLON ever, allowed the teams to travel to Zurich or stay at their home institution to be part of the competition. This was the next level of inclusive events on a global scale.”
(ETH/Nicola Pitaro)
Success Stories
Would you like to share any success stories? Sigrist highlighted:
“CYBATHLON’s success is to promote inclusion and technology in a tangible, entertaining, meaningful way. I think in this regards, the project is really unique. CYBATHLON accelerates the process towards a world without barriers in two ways: in the heads of people and in terms of technical solutions for people with disabilities.”
Notable Metrics
Can you discuss any notable metrics? Sigrist pointed out:
“Since 2014, about 150 research and development teams from more than 35 countries have been part of the CYBATHLON project. These teams spent uncountable working hours and a respectable amount of money to push assistive technologies further together with the people with disabilities.”
Differentiation From Other Events
What differentiates this event from others? Sigrist affirmed:
“CYBATHLON seeks for a world without barriers, together with the teams, but also in regard to event production. We set probably new standards in terms of accessible live events, including sign language translation, audio description, and subtitling , and onsite guidance. Furthermore, when being at CYBATHLON events, you can strongly feel the communities common goals. One team per disciplines wins the goal medal, however, they usually call it a win for everyone involved. One very special aspect is that the competition is performed with the latest assistive technologies – directly coming out of the labs. Thus, the audience can have a glance of the future. Even though not all technology in the competition works perfectly, still, it can be part of the competition. This makes it very attractive for the researchers to be part of it and present novelties in the field.”
Challenges Faced
What are some of the challenges you faced while working at the event? Sigrist acknowledged:
“One challenge is to create the competition tasks. We need to know what will be possible in the next three years and publish the races and rules. The tasks need to be just as difficult to motivate teams to work on solution. They should not be too easy, challenging, but not to hard neither. I think we have done a great job since 2014. The key factor was to talk to the community and end-users very intensively, test the tasks, iterate, and analyse after the events.”
Future Goals
What are some of the event’s future goals? Sigrist concluded:
“Push inclusion and assistive technology even further and increase the CYBATHLON community. We need to carefully analyze what can be done even better in the future, i.e. regarding the event formats and competition, to reach this goal.”
