Project MARCH

CYBATHLON DNF This Sunday morning, we started our final training before the CYBATHLON 2024 EXO qualifications. It went well. Daan was performing obstacles beautifully, and we were excited to show our exoskeleton in action that same afternoon. During the training, however, we had issues with our battery. Through quick action from the team, we solved the issue just in time for the 1st qualifiers, though we had lost sufficient time so that we would have to boot up the exo at the starting line. After booting up, we noticed that the IPD (input device) was having issues with its Bluetooth connection to the exoskeleton. As it turns out, our Bluetooth connection works on the same frequency as the CYBATHLON’s livestreaming equipment. This led to interference with our IPD’s connection, leading to us not being able to start the first qualifying round. We had an hour between qualifiers, which isn’t a lot of time for adjustments. Between rounds, we decided in collaboration with the CYBATHLON organisation that some equipment were turned off, cameras were positioned further from our exo, and the audience would be asked to turn their phones to airplane mode. These measures delivered results, as we had a stable connection in the second qualifying round with which Daan was able to stand up. Unfortunately, we would then have issues with our start-up. We lost time rebooting the exoskeleton, starting the race when half of the allotted time (10 minutes) was already up. With large, quick steps, we quickly arrived at our first obstacle. That is where our connection with the IPD proved not to be as stable as we expected which caused Daan to lose balance at the Moving Parcel obstacle. The obstacle was considered failed, and we had to move on to the next. When we got there, our time soon ran out. We feel sad that we weren’t able to show the exo performing the obstacles, which Daan did so well even that same morning, at either of our two qualifying rounds. We are nonetheless so proud of the resilience our team showed last Sunday, and of everything we were able to achieve and show throughout our year. We could never have done any of it without the immense support we received from our friends, family, and MARCH community, from their advice to the roaring cheers in the SWISS Arena. Thank you all so much 💙❤️

Hi everyone! Tomorrow is the big day! Qualification 1 starts at 11:20, followed by qualification 2 at 12:55. The final will take place at 15:34. The livestream is available via the following link: https://lnkd.in/enchd787. CYBATHLON

This Saturday (September 14th), Project MARCH will be participating in the Rapenburg Race! We will be swimming 800 meters through the canals of Leiden during this annual swimming competition, with the goal to raise awareness and funds to improve the quality of life for people with a spinal cord injury.  You can support us by donating or by joining us to swim together for this important cause. More information can be found via https://lnkd.in/egHe3Dcx. 🏊♀️🌞 #RapenburgRace #Exoskeleton #DreamTeam

~English below Post Olympisch Sportcongres op 20 september De Olympische Spelen zijn helaas alweer voorbij, maar zoals altijd wordt na afloop hiervan samen met de Nederlandse Vereniging voor Traumachirurgie (NVT) het Post Olympisch Congres georganiseerd. Ditmaal op 20 september in het Omnisport Apeldoorn. Het thema van het evenement is "Topsport: a way of life." Daarom zijn wij met onze piloot, Daan van der Heyden, uitgenodigd om ons verhaal te vertellen. Hij krijgt de mogelijkheid om zijn ervaringen te delen over het gebruik van het exoskelet, maar ook over zijn grootste hobby: rolstoelbasketbal. We staan als allereerste op het programma! Verder op het programma staan: dagvoorzitter Tom van 't Hek, wereldtoppers in de sport zoals baanwielrenner Harrie Lavreysen, zwemster Femke Heemskerk, wielrenner en mountainbiker Milan Vader, en paralympisch zwemster Lisa Kruger. Daarnaast komen diverse (para-)medici aan het woord die uitblinken in hun vakgebied, zoals Cees-Rein van den Hoogenband, Martijn Poeze en Roy A.G. Hoogeslag. En als kers op de taart: een clinic baanwielrennen voor de eerste 30 aanmeldingen! De registraties zijn geopend en aanmelden kan via deze link: https://lnkd.in/ezZevY6Q ---- Post Olympic Sports Congress on September 20 The Olympic Games are unfortunately already over, but as always the Post Olympic Congress is organized after this together with the Dutch Association for Trauma Surgery (NVT). This time on September 20th in the Omnisport, Apeldoorn. The event's theme is “Top sport: a way of life.” Therefore, we and our pilot, Daan van der Heyden, have been invited to tell our story. He will have the opportunity to share his experiences about using the exoskeleton and his biggest hobby: wheelchair basketball. We are the very first on the program! Also on the program are the day's chairman Tom van 't Hek, world top athletes such as track cyclist Harrie Lavreysen, swimmer Femke Heemskerk, cyclist and mountain biker Milan Vader, and paralympic swimmer Lisa Kruger. In addition, several (para-)medics who excel in their field will speak, such as Cees-Rein van den Hoogenband, Martijn Poeze and Roy A.G. Hoogeslag. And as icing on the cake: a clinic in track cycling for the first 30 registrants! Registrations are open and you can register via this link: https://lnkd.in/ezZevY6Q

Two weeks ago, our mechanical engineers went to Bossard Nederland BV to see where our fasteners come from, such as the custom length bolts that we use for our rotational joint. They gave us a tour of the warehouse and introduced us to their Smart Factory Logistics concept. Thank you Bossard Nederland BV for the invite and the educational day!

On May 19th 2024, the Dream Hall Partner Event took place! This annual event, organized by all the Dream Teams, provides partners with the opportunity to connect with the students working in the Dream Hall. The day kicked off with an opening session in the Green Village, followed by a networking market and interactive case studies presented by the partners. The day was concluded with a drink where the students and companies were given the opportunity to network while enjoying live music! A big thank you for the enthusiasm that our partners DSW Zorgverzekeraar, Sioux Technologies, Louwman Group, Althen Sensors & Controls and Siemens brought to the event! TU Delft | Dream Hall Delft University of Technology

How do the underlying mechanisms of an exoskeleton work exactly? 🔧 Students from a local secondary school got the chance to make their own, mechanically functional foam exoskeleton today! We toured them around the Dream Hall, explaining how the machinery we use to produce our parts work, and talking with them about their ideas and plans for their future. We then started designing creative rotational and linear joint mechanisms which they integrated in their produced foam exoskeleton. It was great seeing them brainstorm and discuss their ideas! We had a lot of fun today, and hope to have inspired them about personal mobility!

Are you interested in joining a team with 30 motivated students, having a lot of freedom designing an innovative exoskeleton for people with paraplegia, and coming into contact with many technical and nontechnical partners, all the while learning invaluable technical and personal skills yourself? Project MARCH is still looking for team members for our tenth team! The functions we are still looking for are: Project Manager Human Engineer Public Relations Coordinator Marketing Coordinator Partnerships Coordinator Lead Mechanical/Mechanical Engineer Lead Software/Software Engineer Embedded Systems Engineer Electrical Engineer Interested? Or want to know more about our functions? Check projectmarch.nl/functions, or projectmarch.nl/apply to see all open functions and check the application process!

Meet Izzy! After months of hard work, our ninth exoskeleton, Izzy, has been assembled! That means that the entire inner working of our exoskeleton is implemented, and we can soon start testing! When basic tests are done, we will soon enter the training phase. This is when we will start working even more intensely together with our pilot Daan to make sure he and Izzy can cooperate as efficiently as possible! Want to see this cooperation in action in person? Save the date for our Exoskeleton Reveal on the 22nd of July!

What is the benefit of an exoskeleton? An exoskeleton is more than just increased mobility! There are significant health benefits, both in physical and mental health. The CYBATHLON showcased 5 ways exoskeleton technology can revolutionize the rehabilitation process for paraplegia.