What makes cycling powered by Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) unique is that all competitors have spinal cord injuries resulting in the loss of motor and sensory function in their lower limbs, meaning they pedal (or rather, tricycle) using paralysed legs. The pedalling motion is driven not by voluntary muscle activity but by targeted electrical muscle stimulation, so the tricycle can move forward only by activating the paralysed lower limbs. Precisely timed, computer-controlled impulses activate the rider's leg muscles. For this reason, athletic performance is not simply a matter of physical preparation: individually tailored engineering and bionic solutions, precise stimulation patterns, and optimal electrode placement together determine who reaches the podium.

Attila's preparation took place in close cooperation between the Neurorehabilitation and Movement Control Research Group of the HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics and the Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics (ITK) of Pázmány Péter Catholic University. These two institutions supported HunFess's participation in the competition, and the Rehabilitation Clinic of Semmelweis University provided the training venue.

Read more about the competition HERE!