In the world's first-ever Cybathlon this past weekend, teams of scientists and paralyzed but augmented humans battled it out in six bionic disciplines during an Olympics-style science competition in Zurich, Switzerland.
Groups of researchers partnered with competitors with disabilities, showing off a number of skills and technologies in a competitive setting on Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016. Cybathlon focuses on bionic technology, where paraplegic competitors augment their bodies with electronic and mechanical extensions often controlled with the human mind and electro-muscular stimuli. The teams vied for the title in events like a bike race in which paraplegic competitors' leg muscles are contracted by electrical stimulation, and a race between competitors piloting powered exoskeletons.
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The Cybathlon is the brainchild of the engineering university ETH Zurich and Robert Riener, a robotics professor at Switzerland's National Centre of Competence in Research. In addition to the aforementioned categories, competitive teams also face off with bionic arms, bionic legs and a brain-computer interface battle. Want to know more about the competitors? HowStuffWorks Now interviewed some of the scientists earlier this year. Learn more about Cybathlon here, and check out pictures from the landmark event below:
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