HERL's MEBot Competes in Cybathlon

On October 2016, HERL's MEBot robotic wheelchair took part in the first Cybathlon for Robot-Assisted Parathletes in Geneva, Switzerland.

Unquestionably, the Cybathlon raised awareness for the potential of high-tech to have a positive impact on people with disabilities. The interaction between the teams from around the globe was great, and HERL received several inquiries for collaboration, graduate and post-doctoral studies.

MEBOT handled the slalom, steep ramps, door, high speed bumps, and cross-slopes with grace and quickly became a crowd and media favorite. MEBOT was seamless through the obstacles arriving at the stairs in 3 minutes and 1 second; more than 30 seconds ahead of the next team. MEBOT was among the crowd favorites.

Countless people live, in TV, and on-line clearly appreciated the elegance and cleverness of the design and the potential to improve the lives of people who use powered wheelchairs. MEBOT was clearly the front runner in commercial potential for indoor/outdoor use.

Read more at University of Pittsburgh

Image Credit: University of Pittsburgh

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