Technology will be looking to overshadow the Rio Olympics with its own unique set of games. The Cybathlon will be held in Switzerland and begin in October 2016. National Centre of Competence in research Robotics (NCCR) is hosting the event to spur interest in emerging technology.  The Cybathlon is being dubbed the Bionic Olympics.

We at bespoken like to keep you updated on technology breakthroughs and this caught our eye. The Cybathlon will let competitors who are being known as pilots to compete in a mix of events and using different technology. There will be events using prosthetics, exoskeleton suit, muscle stimulation bicycles and powered wheel chairs. There will also be a very unique race for people paralysed from the neck down in a brain computer interface race. The technology is controlled by brain waves and will let people compete who have never had the opportunity.

The six events that feature are:

1. Bike race
2. Leg race
3. Wheelchair Race
4. Exoskeleton Race
5. Arm prosthetics
6. Brain computer interface race

Competitors are encouraged to research and find the best technology available to them unlike the Olympics where technology is used to equal able bodied competitors. There will be very few constraints on the competitors to make for better competition.

There will be dual prizes at the event, one for the competitor and one for the technology company.

Main objectives for the event are:

• To provide the development of novel assistive systems and reinforce the scientific exchange
• To improve public awareness about the challenges and opportunities of assistive technologies
• To enable pilots with disabilities to compete in races making this a unique event

Do you feel that this coverage will help promote awareness to these disabilities?