The Swiss Medtech Pavilion featured laboratories and spin-offs from ETH Zurich and EPFL, as well as a public-private partnership and industry presenting technologies for medical equipment and healthcare solutions. The co-exhibitors, namely CSEM, BioAlps, Micronarc, BW-TEC, Micro Systems Technologies, Sulzer Mixpack,  VirtaMed, ExoSuisse, TWIICE and Varileg, are mostly repeaters to the Pavilion as they enjoy additional attention under the Swiss umbrella at this event that is well-attended by serious professionals.

This year, the Pavilion had a special attraction; the exoskeleton TWIICE from EPFL and the paraplegic athlete, Ms. Silke Pan who made demonstrations during the expo. The team had participated in Cybathlon organized by ETH Zurich in October 2016. Because there is great interest from Japan to have related events here, the organizers of the competition also joined to make new connections and deepen existing contacts.

The Science & Technology Office Tokyo of the Embassy of Switzerland in Japan as the organizer of the Swiss Medtech Pavilion took the opportunity to organize additional events around the expo. In order to highlight the efforts of Cybathlon to connect not only technology experts with the disabled but also to bring them together with the public, an event with a focus on social inclusion was held on 17 April at the Cité du Temps Ginza, Nicolas G. Hayek Center, Tokyo in collaboration with the International Committee of the Red Cross. The “Technology and Social Inclusion – the Cybathlon approach” was attended by media, major industry experts and interested individuals. Ms. Silke Pan also performed a demo here.

The co-organizers of Cybathlon and Prof. Hannes Bleuler of EPFL were also invited to present at a workshop organized by the Tokyo Institute of Technology on 18 April. “Towards and Inclusive Society, integrating the Physically Disabled – Science and Technology Based Activities in Tokyo Tech and Switzerland” workshop was attended by younger students and researchers.