Beyond the Bronze: Insights from the POLIMI Team

The POLIMI Team achieved a remarkable third place at the CYBATHLON 2024 FES-bike race, with pilot Andrea excelling in both performance and collaboration, including a Jury Award for their user-centered design approach. Beyond the competition, the team’s shared experiences with other participants, including a meaningful exchange with the Pulse Racing team, showcased the spirit of sportsmanship and a collective commitment to advancing assistive technology while also providing valuable learning opportunities for engineering students.

CYBATHLON 2024

After months of preparation, the POLIMI Team secured an incredible third place at the FES-bike race during CYBATHLON 2024. The race was amazing from start to finish. After qualifying in third position, the team pilot Andrea consistently performed at his maximum level during the final event reaching the bronze medal and successfully achieving the race target of 1960 meters in less than 8 minutes. To add to this incredible experience, the team was also honored with the Jury Award. This recognition highlights the team's commitment to the user-centered design approach that prioritizes the needs and requests of the pilot. In fact, the pilot was actively involved in the development process, contributing to the design of a prototype that aims to empower independence during use.

The sense of community

Sharing experiences and meeting other teams from all over the world are some of the aspects that make CYBATHLON such an incredible event. A particularly heartwarming moment occurred at the end of the competition when the POLIMI team’s pilot and the one from the Pulse Racing team swapped their trikes in the changing room. They exchanged not only their personal experiences but also their unique insights into FES-cycling technology. It was an occasion to show and try the advancements made by each team. This simple act was a powerful example of sportsmanship and highlighted the spirit of community that CYBATHLON tries to promote beyond the competitive aspect. It is a reminder that even if they can be competitors on track, they share a common goal: advancing assistive technology.

How it started and the role of the students

The POLIMI Team was formed at Politecnico of Milan in 2019 under the guidance of Professor Emilia Ambrosini. Before the 2020 edition of CYBATHLON, the team crossed paths with Andrea, who became the team pilot. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, training was limited but we were able to participate.  After this experience, Andrea decided to continue to train with us, and also other pilots joined the team to further advance the device and refine the stimulation strategy. Since 2019, a lot of engineering students took part in the project and gave their contribution. This project allowed them to deepen their knowledge, gain invaluable life experience, and shift their perspective on disability. This project represents an important learning opportunity, giving them the chance to apply their knowledge to real-world challenges. This work was possible through two principal initiatives: FESleg project (PR19-RR-15) funded by INAIL (Istituto Nazionale per l'assicurazione contro gli Infortuni sul Lavoro, Italy) and Activ-E3 (Everyone, Everywhere, Everyday) project (CUG: C13C21000200005) funded by Cariplo Foundation and Lombardy Region. A big thank you also to the sponsor: Axelgaard Manufacturing Ltd, Met Helmets, One-Off Innovation and MFL Group.