BionIT Labs Secures Top Spot at CYBATHLON 2024 with Adam’s Hand!

Emotion and adrenaline were at their peak as the countdown marked the beginning of the competition we had been waiting for months: the Cybathlon 2024, the culminating event of an exciting journey that started with the Cybathlon Challenges 2023 and 2024—this time, for the first time, at the official event venue, the Swiss Arena in Kloten, Switzerland!

We have previously discussed the Cybathlon and its core mission, perfectly summarized in their official hashtag, #MovingPeopleAndTechnology: we experienced all this in the Cybathlon Challenges, culminating in this final, thrilling event featuring us and 67 other international teams made up of professionals, academics, and developers of new technologies.

Ten tasks to complete in a timed challenge: we tested the extraordinary functionality of our prosthesis in real-life situations, and in this article, we share more about this fantastic experience!

Our Technology Empowering People with Limb Differences.

Adam’s Hand has been developed to simplify the life of users thanks to its technology, which guarantees a natural and intuitive control of the device.  Our Fully-Adaptive Grip Technology eliminates the need to perform complex muscle contractions for grip switching. Adam’s Hand automatically adapts to the shape and size of objects.

In 2023, our team secured third place at the Cybathlon Challenges thanks to our pilot and Italian ambassador, Salvatore De Cillis. The following year, in 2024, our German pilot and ambassador, Philipp Barluschke, took first place!

BionIT Labs Wins the Cybathlon 2024 Jury Awards and Claims the Podium with Adam’s Hand!

This incredible sporting event sees us once again in the spotlight: Salvatore De Cillis climbed back onto the podium, finishing in third place! 

In all editions we’ve participated in, our pilots have used a device that features the same characteristics as the market-ready product, without any modifications to adapt to the specific tasks of the competition.

The success of Adam’s Hand in this context demonstrates how the prosthesis becomes an integral part of the user. This is made possible by its ease of use, responsiveness, and intuitive thumb rotation, which can be utilized in three different positions (lateral, intermediate, and opposition) to handle various everyday objects.

In this way, Adam’s Hand allows users to enjoy complete autonomy in their daily life activities. This is the goal of Adam’s Hand, even in a sporting competition like this: to provide users the opportunity to benefit from all the advantages of a multi-joint prosthesis—such as anthropomorphism, dexterity, and an opposable thumb—while achieving intuitive control, strength, and speed typically associated with three-digit prosthetics.

The features of Adam’s Hand have positively impressed the Cybathlon jury, which awarded us the CYBATHLON 2024 Jury Award, recognizing the innovation, usability, and versatility—fundamental elements of our product and our mission!

maxon Italia, Official Sponsor of BionIT Labs Team

maxon has long been a Gold Partner of the Cybathlon and this year sponsored also our team. One of the key elements of our medical device’s success is the collaboration with maxon Italia, which provides BionIT Labs with essential components to ensure the functionality and performance of Adam’s Hand.

The partnership with maxon ensures that every component is made with cutting-edge materials and technologies, providing access to high-quality customer service and technical support. This allows us to develop optimal solutions for product specifications, ensuring effectiveness at all stages, from assembly to post-sale assistance.

The Final Race

The atmosphere was charged with tension as our team prepared to face the decisive challenges to secure a spot in the final race. The day before the event, qualifications took place, during which our pilots competed against opponents while also engaging in an internal competition to clock the best time and secure access to the eagerly awaited final.

The race tasks were designed to test the functionality of the prosthetics developed by participating teams in various real-life scenarios. Each challenge put Adam’s Hand to the test. Some of these tasks were already known to us, having faced them during the Challenges leading up to the race. Let’s take a closer look.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FINAL RACE

• CARRY BOTTLES: the first task involved placing heavy bottles in a box and transporting it to the table.
• SERVING FOOD: the second required transporting a baking dish and a pan from the stove to a table. The goal of these two tasks was to evaluate the ability to lift and carry both heavy and light objects from one point to another.

Adam’s Hand is a prosthesis that combines the ease of use of three-digit hands with the dexterity of multi-articulated hands. Thanks to its high versatility and gripping capacity, users can easily manipulate objects, including very heavy ones, up to 40 kg (88 lb) in Hook Grip and 32 kg (70 lb) as a maximum load in wrist flexion, ensuring the effectiveness of the activity.

• STORING DISHES: the third task involved grasping and storing kitchen items in designated locations.
• HANGING LAUNDRY: in this task, participants had to hang a hoodie on a clothesline using a hanger. The goal was to assess the ability to manipulate objects in tight spaces and at different heights, checking the functional and dimensional compatibility of the prosthesis.

The intuitive thumb rotation capability of Adam’s Hand allows for easy hanging of garments, grasping small components, such as zipping up the hoodie, and manipulating delicate objects, ensuring a firm grip even in confined spaces.

• DO-IT-YOURSELF: for this task, a series of hand tools were required to perform DIY work.
• CONTAINERS: here, several manual tasks in the kitchen were performed using both hands.

In these two activities, the aim was to measure the precision and agility of using the prosthesis with the hand and wrist in precise and bimanual actions.

At the core of Adam’s Hand is not just “mechanical” intelligence; thanks to AI-based pattern recognition, the hand offers high dexterity and accuracy. Being calibrated to the user’s muscle tone, grip speed and force are adjustable. Finally, its robustness, high-quality materials, and the IP67 rating of the Adam’s Skin glove allow for even more complex activities, putting the device under significant external stress, such as bumps, falls, and heavy pressure.

• HAPTIC BAG: in this task, participants had to identify and grasp objects of various shapes and flexibilities without using their sight to test the prosthesis’s ability to perceive and distinguish different textures.
• HOT WIRE: a particularly challenging task: guiding a ring with the prosthesis along a curved wire without touching it. The objective was to measure the ability to maintain a stable grip during prolonged postural changes of the prosthetic hand.

The first task was indeed challenging. Adam’s Hand, in fact, underwent no modifications to adapt to the competition tasks. Currently, the prosthesis does not feature a tactile feedback capability. Our Research and Development team is constantly working to ensure that our technology evolves rapidly and continuously, and this is one of the areas we are focusing our efforts on.

In its “Medium” size, Adam’s Hand ensures a secure and stable grip, weighing only 560 grams, including the glove, making it comparable to other hands of this type available on the market. However, users perceive its weight as lighter, about one-third compared to its weight and that of similar devices. These features proved to be quite useful in a task like the Hot Wire task, allowing for precise control of movements.

• STACKING: this task required stacking cups to form a vertical pyramid.
• CLEAN SWEEP: the last task involved transferring objects from a box on one table to a target position on another table. The goal was to test the ability to maintain a stable grip during arm posture changes and assess the ability to grasp small objects of various shapes, sizes, and textures.

The combination of all the key features of Adam’s Hand, discussed earlier, allowed us to successfully overcome this challenge as well!

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE FINAL RACE

A Memorable Experience!

We still feel the energy of those days. Climbing the podium alongside Philipp and Salvatore represented an unforgettable moment, symbolizing our team’s commitment and the strength of our community, supported by friends and colleagues who, even from afar, followed the race live.

We had fun and had the opportunity to interact with numerous professionals and enthusiasts of prosthetic technology. We met incredible people and shared our experiences with them. Together with our device and the pilots, every member of the various departments at BionIT Labs played a crucial role in achieving this milestone.

The Soleto team also cheered for their pilots, coming together to experience the excitement of that moment!

Users like Philipp and Salvatore are essential for the ongoing development and improvement of Adam’s Hand, designed from the beginning to meet the specific needs of patients with limb differences.

Participating in the Cybathlon has represented an extraordinary opportunity for us to demonstrate how technology can truly break down the barriers that people with disabilities face daily in a world not designed for them. With the determination that has guided us to this moment, we are ready to write new chapters in our adventure, ensuring that every step represents progress toward a future filled with new possibilities!

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“Published with Permission. The Blog Article was originally published by BionIT Labs on 30 October 2024.”

Are you interested in learning more about Adam’s Hand? Contact them now! 

Are you an individual with limb difference or a clinician interested in requesting a trial with Adam’s Hand? Click here!