Cybathlon -- Legged Mobile Assistance for Quadriplegics

TL;DR

This paper introduces a versatile assistance robot controlled via mouth joystick and voice commands, demonstrating its effectiveness by winning the Cybathlon 2024 race and aiding independence for quadriplegics.

Contribution

It presents a novel control interface for a quadrupedal assistance robot, combining mouth joystick and voice commands, validated through competitive performance.

Findings

Won first place at Cybathlon 2024 Assistance Robot Race.

Successfully completed four everyday tasks in record time.

System is generic and adaptable for independence support.

Abstract

Assistance robots are the future for people who need daily care due to limited mobility or being wheelchair-bound. Current solutions of attaching robotic arms to motorized wheelchairs only provide limited additional mobility at the cost of increased size. We present a mouth joystick control interface, augmented with voice commands, for an independent quadrupedal assistance robot with an arm. We validate and showcase our system in the Cybathlon Challenges February 2024 Assistance Robot Race, where we solve four everyday tasks in record time, winning first place. Our system remains generic and sets the basis for a platform that could help and provide independence in the everyday lives of people in wheelchairs.