A Russian national team will participate in the first international Cybathlon competition for people using high-tech assistive devices, which will be held on October 8, 2016 in Zürich (Switzerland). Russia will be represented by six teams in five disciplines. Among the other technologies, the unique Brain-Computer Interface, developed by Russian engineers, will be presented for the first time on international level.
The Cybathlon will gather leading global technologies for people with disabilities for the first time on one site: robotized wheelchairs, bionic prostheses for upper and lower limbs, exoskeletons and brain-computer interfaces. With six teams presenting their cutting-edge solutions that aim to enter the international market, the Russian delegation is one of the largest national teams in the competition.
Motorica's pilot with functional hand prothesis
The Russian national team will be demonstrating technology made by the companies Motorica, Kleiber Bionics, Orto-Kosmos, Neurobotics and Caterwil. Each of the teams will be represented by a pilot-sportsman who will complete an obstacle course and perform tasks with the help of their unique hi-tech solutions: prosthetic limbs, robotized wheelchairs and exoskeletons.
‘One of the goals of the Cybathlon is the development of an international market of modern assistive technologies and the promotion of brand new solutions in this sphere. There are leading research centers and manufacturers from China, America, and European countries among the participants of the competition. The fact that Russian companies are represented at this "global show of technologies" in almost all disciplines is very important for international cooperation and technological partnership in the industry, and is also a driver of the Russian market’s development’, said Evgeny Kuznetsov, acting CEO of RVC, government fund of funds and the development institute of the Russian Federation.
In particular the Russian company ‘Neurobotics’ will present its own ‘brain-computer’ interface that allows to process electric signals from the cerebral cortex and manipulate computers and machinery literally with your thoughts. Russian engineers’ technology recognizes up to 8 different instructions in real time and demands minimal time for user training: in 15 minutes you can use 3 commands, in a couple of hours of training – already 8 commands in the background regime. It means such solution allows paralyzed person to control TV, computer or wheelchair while talking, moving or performing any other daily routine without long training process, which puts it at a competitive level with the leading world analogues.
The progressive development of the Russian assistive technologies and their ambitions for the international market is influenced by the country-wide technological development program - National Technological Initiative of Russia. Notably, the participation of a national team in the Cybathlon is planned as part of the Neuronet Roadmap of the National Technological Initiative of Russia with the assistance of national development institutes - Russian Venture Company, the Skolkovo Foundation, Agency for Strategic Initiatives - and the Industrial Union of Neuronet.
’One of the most promising directions of work within a framework of The National Technology Initiative of Russia is the NeuroNet market – which includes neurotechnologies, as well as products and services based on them. These developed technologies will be displayed for the first time on a worldwide basis exactly on Cybathlon. It will be held in competitive scenarios in 5 of 6 disciplines at once, and this fact features a major technological success of our country, only a few countries in the world are represented in this competition on such a large scale. We expect that Russian teams will perform presentably, we also cheer for our sportsmen and hope that technologies developed by NeuroNet`s companies will help them to become winners’, – said Evgeny Kovnir, the Deputy Director of direction ‘Young Professionals’ of Agency for Strategic Initiatives.
‘The explosive development of technologies is starting to influence the very definition of what a human being is. High tech devices - exoprostheses, brain-computer interfaces, exoskeletons - compensate for lost capabilities and improve people’s quality of life. The participation of Russian teams in the Cybathlon is the beginning of the generation of a center of competences for a new branch of assistive technologies in Russia. The priority of Skolkovo is the development of private entrepreneurship and competition, and an international contest is the best way to determine the real leaders of a new direction,’ said Albert Efimov, Head of Skolkovo Robotics Center.
‘The everyday tasks and problems that disabled people face are the basis of the disciplines at the Cybathlon, in contrast with traditional sports contests. This approach makes it possible to test new solutions in public, understand their advantages and weaknesses, and popularize the achievements of modern science in the sphere of assistive technologies in order to perfect them and make them more available. The development and production of competitive Russian products meeting international quality standards opens wide prospects for the development of the Russian market of assistive technologies,’ said Alexander Semyonov, Executive Director of the Industrial Union of Neuronet and the captain of the Russian team at the Cybathlon.
Russia will be represented at Cybathlon by the following teams:
Powered Arm Prosthesis
Kleiber Bionics
Team Kleiber are made up of members from the company Kleiber bionics (a Skolkovo Foundation startup) and will use their own Kleiber prosthetic hand. The team is lead by Ivan Krechetov and piloted by Aleksandr Pankratov, a member of the national parasport team for ping-pong and swimming.
Motorica
Team Stradivary come out of the Russian company Motorica (a Skolkovo Foundation startup), who develop hi-tech arm prostheses. At the competition they will take part in the race with their bioelectrical arm assistive device. The team is led by Ilya Chekh and piloted by Konstantin Deblikov.
Powered Leg Prosthesis teams
ORTOKOSMOS
Team ORTOKOSMOS come out of a commercial company and have have experience of athletic events having provided technical support for the 2008 and 2012 summer olympics and the 2014 winter olympics. The team leader is Stepan Golovin.
Brain-Computer Interface Race (BCI)
Neurobotics
Neurobotics team will represent Russia at the BCI race with own development neurointerface. The team brings together engineers and specialists in rehabilitation, led by Alexandr Zonov, piloted by Sergei Semaikin.
Powered Exoskeleton Race
The Powered Exoskeleton Race is one of two disciplines that Neurobotics Company will take part in. At the Powered Exoskeleton Race they will present own developmental exoskeleton. Team NeuroWalk is led by Vladimir Konyshev and piloted by Yury Sidorov.
Wheelchair Teams
CaterWil
Team Caterwil comes out of the Russian company Caterwil. The team will use their own wheelchair, developed in collaboration with Shvabe manufacturing unit. Team leader is Ivan Nevzorov, pilot is Yury Larin.
PROJECT’S GENERAL PARTNER:
RVC — is the government fund of funds and the development institute of the Russian Federation, one of the key tools of the state in the national innovation system building. The company has a wide range of instruments aimed at development of venture investment market in the country, establishment of educational and methodological services for market players, as well as increase of global competitiveness of Russian technological companies.
Since 2015, RVC has been defined as a project office of the National Technology Initiative (NTI) — the long-term strategy of the country's technological development, aimed at formation of new global markets by 2035. For realization of NTI goals tools created and actively implemented in RVC will be used. For more information: http://www.rusventure.ru/
PROJECT’S PARTNERS:
ASI (The Agency for Strategic Initiatives) – autonomous non-commercial organization founded on 11 august 2011 by the Russian government. Agency provides support in overcoming administrative barriers, examination conducting and financing attraction to commercial, social and education projects. A specific area of the Agency's activities relates to supporting system-wide projects to ensure new quality of life of people with disabilities. As one of the key areas of work, the Agency takes part in the National technology initiative — a multilateral effort to speed up the implementation of advanced technologies in all relevant industries. For more information: https://asi.ru
Skolkovo Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in September 2010 by the Russian government with the objective of accelerating Russia’s transformation from a resource-intensive to an innovation-based economy. To achieve this objective, the Foundation is overseeing the creation of the Skolkovo Innovation Center, composed of more than 1,500 high-tech startups, Skolkovo Technopark, the Skolkovo Institute of Technology (Skoltech) - a new graduate research University established in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - and Skolkovo city, located near Moscow. Together, these entities establish a vibrant ecosystem of technology innovation and entrepreneurship. The cumulative revenue of Skolkovo’s startups through June 2016 reached $1,6 billion. They brought in more than $350 million in investment, creating 21,800 jobs and filing over 1,900 patent applications along the way. By 2020 over 2 million square meters of residential and office space will be built in Skolkovo with 35,000 people working daily in the Innovation Center. For more information: http://www.sk.ru/en
The National Technology Initiative (NTI) is a long-term technological development program designed up to 2035, in order to create the conditions for emergence of the Russian companies that would be competitive at the high technology markets that will shape the structure of the global economy within 15-20 years. For more information: http://nti.one/index.php
The Industrial Union of Neuronet – non-commercial partnership uniting large and small companies, scientific and industrial organizations, individuals working in the field of technology Neuronet (neurotechnologies, neurosurgery, human-machine interfaces technologies, machine learning technologies). For more information: http://rusneuro.net/
Media contact:
Irina Shimko, i.shimko@spncomms.com
Contact for receiving immediate information or arranging interviews during the event:
Julia Fishkova, j.fishkova@spncomms.com,+79035802602
Skolkovo
Taisiya Yarmak
+79166948826
tyarmak@sk.ru
More information on the Russian team at Cybatholon can be found here