McClellan is preparing for the Cybathlon, the first ever cyborg Olympics, coming to a stadium in Zurich in October 2016. In these games, the competitors will use advanced technologies to compensate for disabilities like paralysis and limb amputation. In the cycling race, for example, paraplegic competitors will use electrical stimulation systems to jolt their paralyzed legs into action; electrodes and muscles will work in tandem to propel their trikes forward.
Yes, the Paralympics already offers athletes with disabilities a forum to showcase their talents. But the Cybathlon’s rules and aims are different, explains organizer Robert Riener, a professor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich). The Paralympics bans motorized equipment, but the Cybathlon embraces it.
via IEEE Spectrum
Image: Nathaniel Welch
