Claudia Briedbach wants to prove
she's the best
at using one of the world's most
sophisticated bionic arms.
Over the next two days, she'll
compete in the
powered arm prosthetics series race.
It's an early rehearsal for a global
competition called the Cybathlon.
With these ordinary tasks, the Cybathlon is the place to see just
how
far this technology has come in the
past decade.
Even while the competition pushes
more
life changing innovation.
Claudia came in fourth in the first
global Cybathlon
back in 2016.
Claudia has been training ever since
and this is an early test for her in
the lead up
to the global competition in 2020.
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Over the next two days,
Claudia will compete in three
qualifying races
and two finals.
Each race covers the same obstacle
course
with tasks like breakfast and
laundry.
in the big 2020 competition.
This is the haptic box challenge.
It's a brand new task and Claudia has
to
match objects by feeling them.
She gets to try it out before the
race begins.
In this first race, Claudia is up
against Roza Bellin
from the Italian team softhand pro
and she doesn't do well.
These races focus on tasks that are
easy
for the human hand, but are
incredibly difficult
even with the most advanced robotic
arm.
And that's the point.
Reiner came up with the idea for the
competition and he says early races
like this one
give teams a preview of the tasks
so that engineers can design process
prosthetics
that can handle them for 2020
and then that tech makes it to the
public.
In the past decade there's been a
revolution
in technology designed to help people
like Claudia.
From powered limbs to wheelchairs
that can climb stairs to exoskeletons
and the Cybathlon includes races for
all this tech.
And it's done a lot to push it
forward.
And those improvements are a big
deal.
Right now up to 60% of people with
upper limb
amputation that are fitted for
prosthetic devices
fail to use them regularly.
This is the final race in the powered
arm prostheses
series competition and Claudia has
reworked her strategy.
Whoever has the most points at the
end will win.
