CYBATHLON

The A-eye team showcases the skills of students and researchers in a joint project. Dozens of student groups work on solutions for specific challenges and use kinaesthetic feedback from the ISIR lab. At the centre of the team is Sébastien Hinderer, a blind software developer with a PhD in speech processing. He improves accessibility, helps develop the device's functions and optimises its technical performance.

The CYBATHLON 2024 introduces a new discipline for people with visual impairments. These participants have difficulties with everyday tasks such as choosing clothes or recognising products in the supermarket. Obstacles on the way to work can be dangerous. Intelligent visual aids should offer more independence and quality of life. The competition tests spatial orientation and mobility through tasks such as boarding buses and avoiding obstacles. The focus is on intuitive and reliable control under time pressure.

How do you build the infrastructure of a competition like CYBATHLON? In this interview, we talk about the unique rewards and challenges of organising, producing and livestreaming a global competition with CYBATHLON's Head of Technology, Kilian Baur.

Since the first competition in 2016, the CYBATHLON has promoted innovations in assistance technologies. Teams are motivated to involve end users more closely in development and adapt devices to their everyday needs. The competition tasks present unsolved challenges for people with disabilities and compare the latest developments from research laboratories and companies worldwide. This overview describes the competition disciplines, their contributions to assistive technologies and the remaining challenges in user-centred development.