Characters like Cyborg of the Justice league and Robocop portray how man and machine can indeed function together, pushing the bonds of assertive technology. Over the years development in assertive technology aim to improve lives of people living with disabilities.
Come 8th October, 2016, there is a one day event built to showcase how far assertive technology has come. It is called “Cybathlon, a championship for athletes with disabilities.
The event will feature activities in which “Pilots” as the athletes are called, team-up with machine to perform basic human day to day activities.
“Athletes will tackle flights of stairs in the new wheel chairs and prove their speed and skill using the most up-to-date modern prostheses” stated the official Cybathlon site. The competition is grouped in six disciplines, they are:
- Powered Exoskeleton Race
- Powered Arm Prosthesis Race
- Powered Leg Prosthesis Race
- Brain Controlled Computer Games
- Powered Wheelchair Race
- Muscle-Simulated Bike Race
The organizers look to remove barriers that exist between people with disabilities, the public and technology developers with the event and hope to host a follow-up in 2020, depending on success of the maiden edition. As the event day approaches, so does interest to participate. Sadly it’s way too late for new entries as pre-event test held back in July this year, and 80 teams are set to participate come this Saturday.
