The new MARCH III by TU Delft student team Project MARCH has won the Cybathlon Experience in Düsseldorf, the international obstacle race for exoskeletons. Entrants from several countries competed in the test of robotic harnesses for people with paraplegia, ending on 29 September. Together with ‘pilot’ Sjaan Quirijns, who has had paraplegia since 2000, MARCH III achieved the fastest time and the highest number of points. Thanks to improvements to the suit and intensive training of its wearer, the team successfully completed a four-obstacle course in just under 9.5 minutes. Project MARCH gained particular plaudits for the independent functioning of its device.

Cyclist Lieke de Cock won the world championship for cycling in the Nevada desert in the US with a speed of 120 km/h.

During his Mechanical Engineering degree programme, TU Delft student Mats Overtoom came up with a mathematical model that could provide answers to such questions as ‘What is the optimum changeover schedule for a cyclist in a team time trial?’ and ‘How fast does he need to cycle up a mountain to reach optimum performance?’. The input for the simulation model was data from cyclists from Team Sunweb and specific track information. It gives the Dumoulin team strategic tips for optimum performance, the best order of the cyclists and the length of turns on the front during a team time trial.

An advanced test area of 10 x 10 nautical miles (= about 185 football pitches) is planned for off the coast of The Hague, just outside the port of Scheveningen. This area is unique in the world. It is within this ‘smartest stretch of the North Sea’ that the likes of Delft Data Science (DDS) researchers Anna Vilanova and Elmar Eisemann will get the chance to further their research.