"Global Innovation Challenge 2023" Inviting Participants in "Living Assistance Robot Contest"...

GIC Executive Committee — Thu, 10 Nov 2022 15:00:00 +0900

TOKYO, Nov. 10, 2022 /Kyodo JBN/ --
Global Innovation Challenge Executive Committee
"Global Innovation Challenge 2023" Inviting Participants in "Living Assistance Robot Contest" Designed to Help People with Disabilities "Walk Independently"

The Global Innovation Challenge Executive Committee (hereinafter referred to as "GIC Executive Committee") based in Tokyo is pleased to announce the "Global Innovation Challenge 2023 Living Assistance Robot Contest" (hereinafter referred to as "GIC Contest") will be held next year at the "GIC Tsukuba Innovation Center" in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan, providing total prize money of USD1,000,000.

Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106211/202211019056/_prw_PI2fl_rDD8D0fK.jpg

Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106211/202211019056/_prw_PI1fl_EGqhrMv2.png

Official website: https://global-innovation-challenge.com/en/

The contest will be held in May-June 2023 to support researchers and developers from all over the world with the aim of bringing innovative tools that enable people living in wheelchairs with disabilities such as paralysis to "walk independently" (*) without the assistance of a caregiver, and to make use of their residual functions.

(*) For the purpose of this contest, independent walking is defined as the ability of a person with a disability such as paralysis to walk without the assistance of others or without the use of a wheelchair.

Entries will be accepted until March 31, 2023, ahead of the contest. The organizer looks forward to receiving many applications from people concerned.
For details, please see the application guidelines on the official website.
https://global-innovation-challenge.com/en/event_and_project/2023/GIC2023.html

Contest background:
The number of people who need assistance in their daily lives due to aging, illness, or accidents is increasing worldwide. While both caregivers and recipients of assistance are subjected to a number of mental, physical, and financial burdens, the development of robots for the welfare sector is an area in which investment is difficult to come by because the market is not large enough.

The development of public infrastructure and the promotion of barrier-free accessibility have made it possible for people with limited mobility to live their daily lives alone if they have a wheelchair, but they still face limitations in their activities outside of a well-developed environment. The organizer believes that a walking support robot that can be used both indoors and outdoors without worrying about barrier-free accessibility would enable people with disabilities to enjoy their lives to a greater extent.

The GIC Contest is being held with the aim of enabling people living in wheelchairs with disabilities, such as paralysis of the lower limbs, to "walk independently" without human assistance, making use of their remaining functions, through the development of innovative tools.

Comment from Tatsufumi Kamimura, Chairman, GIC Executive Committee:
"This will be the second time for the contest to be held. In 2021, the contest had to be held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the next contest in spring 2023 will be held at the GIC Tsukuba Innovation Center, in a contest field that will resemble an ordinary house. The committee members are looking forward to seeing what new technologies will be created this time as well. We look forward to receiving many entries from many countries."

Outline of the Global Innovation Challenge 2023 Living Assistance Robot Contest
- Contest venue： GIC Tsukuba Innovation Center
(877 Naka-Sugama, Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture, 300-4242 Japan)
- Organizer: Global Innovation Challenge Executive Committee
*It is managed with advice from experts in the fields of medical welfare, sports for the disabled, robotics, etc.
- Special sponsor: TKF Inc.
- Sponsor: JTB Corp.
- Cooperator: Tsukuba City
- Supporting company: Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Co., Ltd., MUFG Bank, Ltd., SMBC Nikko Securities Inc.
- Total prize money: USD1,000,000
- Participation fee: Free of charge
For more details about the contest, please visit:
https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/attach/202211019056-O1-TEp97bO5.pdf

Organizer of “Global Innovation Challenge 2021” -- Living Assistance Robot Award -- Begins...

GIC Executive Committee — Wed, 02 Sep 2020 15:00:00 +0900

TOKYO, Sept. 2, 2020 /Kyodo JBN/ --
Global Innovation Challenge Executive Committee
Organizer of “Global Innovation Challenge 2021” -- Living Assistance Robot Award -- Begins Accepting Entries on Sept. 1

- Determined to Help People with Leg Disabilities Realize Their Desire to Stand and Walk on Their Own -

The Global Innovation Challenge Executive Committee has launched “Global Innovation Challenge 2021 -- Living Assistance Robot Award” under the theme of ensuring living assistance for disabled people with the aim of achieving a society where people will not have to be conscious about disabilities.

(Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106211/202008313660/_prw_PI1fl_hHEiIH91.jpg)

(Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M106211/202008313660/_prw_PI2fl_KN0vA3d4.jpg)

Global Innovation Challenge’s initiative
- Helping people with leg disabilities realize their desire to stand and walk on their own

There are growing numbers of people in the world who need living assistance because of advanced age, illnesses and injuries they suffered in accidents, among other factors. While both assistance providers and recipients are required to shoulder certain mental, physical and financial burdens, investors are not necessarily enthusiastic about investing in the development of robots for health and welfare because the market for this field is relatively small.

- Social structure that makes it difficult to achieve demand-supply balance for new options to help disabled people broaden the scope of their living

The improvement of public infrastructure and the promotion of barrier-free access now allow people with leg disabilities to lead their daily lives on their own to a greater extent if they have wheelchairs. Still, their activities are restricted in areas where such an environment has not been sufficiently developed. For example, if people with leg disabilities visit their friends’ homes that have not been made barrier-free like their own homes, their activities will be restrained. They can travel by using wheelchairs, receiving assistance from others and using support equipment to walk, but many of them desire to stand and walk on their own. Regardless of whether sufficient public infrastructure is in place and barrier-free access is available, the organizer of the initiative believes that robots that help people walk on their own will allow those with leg disabilities to enjoy freer daily lives in their own ways to a greater extent.

- Establishment of Living Assistance Robot Award

The Living Assistance Robot Award has been established to ensure that innovative robots which help people in wheelchair fully use their residual functions to walk on their own will be broadly in use all over the world. The award will support those engaged in research and development of such robots worldwide.

- Message from Tatsufumi Kamimura, chairman of the Global Innovation Challenge Executive Committee

“Science and technology have been advancing constantly. Smartphones have realized many things that were previously regarded just as dreams. Our daily lives and business activities are moving at an increasingly rapid pace and we live in a world where we can try new things. However, once people become physically disabled because of accidents or illnesses, they find it difficult to lead ordinary lives.

“We have established this award because we believe that we can create a world where people won’t have to be conscious about disabilities by applying evolving science and technology to the field of health and welfare and supporting engineers in this field.

“We would be glad if this award helps those engaged in research and development all over the world.”

- Overview of Global Innovation Challenge - Living Assistance Robot Award

This award is given to organizations developing robots that help people with leg disabilities walk on their own. Specifically, the committee will commend organizations that have developed robots allowing people with leg disabilities to walk on their own and support their motions in various aspects of daily lives. Moreover, prize money will be awarded to such organizations to support their research and development.

Qualifications:
Organizations developing robots that help people whose lower limbs are paralyzed to walk on their own.

Criteria for selection:
The organizer will set up seven assumed scenes of daily life and judge whether robots entered in the contest can allow physically disabled people to walk on their own in each scene.

Sum of the prize money:
Achieving one of the given tasks / achieving some of the given tasks / achieving all the given tasks
1 million U.S. dollars (approximately 100 million yen) in total sum

Schedule:
Period of entries: from September 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021
Announcement of screening results: July 1, 2021
Award ceremony & demonstrations of prize-winning robots: September 5, 2021 (not fixed yet) at GIC Tsukuba Innovation Center
*All schedules in this press release are based on Japan Standard Time (JST, UTC+9).

Organizer: Global Innovation Challenge Executive Committee

Special sponsor: TKF Inc.
Sponsor: JTB Corp.
Collaborators: Tsukuba Municipal Government/Mizuho Bank, Ltd.
Supporter: Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Co., Ltd.

Official website:
https://global-innovation-challenge.com/en

Detailed application guidelines can be downloaded from the following website:
https://global-innovation-challenge.com/en/2021/#guidelines

Concept video:
https://global-innovation-challenge.com/en/#movie

Promotion video:
https://global-innovation-challenge.com/en/2021/#movie

Official Facebook account:
https://www.facebook.com/Global-Innovation-Challenge-109304510495923

法人別リリース

"Global Innovation Challenge 2023" Inviting Participants in "Living Assistance Robot Contest"...

Organizer of “Global Innovation Challenge 2021” -- Living Assistance Robot Award -- Begins...