Special Issue on Cybathlon 2016

 

Assistive robotic devices have the potential to improve human lives in countless ways. People with weakened limbs can use robotic exoskeletons to augment their strength while amputees can use powered prostheses to nonetheless successfully perform activities of daily living. People with more severe disabilities such as tetraplegia can use robotic wheelchairs to remain mobile or even use brain-computer interfaces to communicate with electronic devices without the need for any motion. All these technologies allow individuals with disabilities to live fulfilling, productive and happy lives despite chronic impairments.

This special issue will highlight some of the latest innovations in the development and evaluation of assistive robotics. It will feature ground-breaking work presented at the Cybathlon 2016, an international championship where athletes with disabilities competed in different disciplines while supported by cutting-edge robotic technology. The Cybathlon took place in October 2016 in Zurich and was preceded by a scientific symposium where new technological advances related to the Cybathlon were presented and discussed by leading experts and young researchers.

This call is open to all participants of the Cybathlon championship and symposium. Papers should follow the standard RAM guidelines. A full peer-review process will be utilized to select papers for the special issue. Submissions should be made through the RAM submission website by 1 February 2017.

The topics of interest include but are not limited to:

-       Brain-control interface hardware and software
-       Upper and lower limb prosthesis hardware and control
-       Assistive exoskeleton hardware and control
-       Powered wheelchair hardware and control
-       Functional electric stimulation
-       Novel evaluation methods for assistive devices
-       Impact of assistive technologies on human quality of life

Contributions are expected to present the main original functional and technical aspects of the assistive device implemented for the Cybathlon competition as well as the outcome of the experimental tests carried out before, during and after the competition in order to validate the proposed solution. A critical analysis of the results should be also included and discussed in the paper, so as to outline the potential impact of the proposed innovation in real-life scenarios.

Important Dates

Deadline for paper submission: 15 December 2016 1 February 2017
Publication Schedule: December 2017
First decision: 15 March 2017
Final decision: 1 July 2017

Guest editors

Domen Novak, University of Wyoming
Peter Wolf, ETH Zurich
Eugenio Guglielmelli, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma