Collaborations

How do you tie shoelaces with a robotic arm prosthesis? How do you climb stairs in a wheelchair? CYBATHLON, a nonprofit project at ETH Zürich, puts teams all over the world to the challenge of developing assistance technologies with and for people with disabilities, and mastering various tasks in international events.

More than 100 teams have taken part since 2013. CYBATHLON is a unique international platform for networking and demonstrates how technology, research, and development contribute to creating an accessible world.

maxon has supported CYBATHLON from day one: By 2020, one team in four was already making use of maxon products. This close cooperation also helps us improve our understanding of future product requirements.

For several years now, maxon has been working successfully with Swiss bicycle manufacturer Thömus on the development of e-bikes. The “Thömus maxon Swiss Mountain Bike Racing Team” has competed with success since 2021. In the summer of 2022, Thömus launched the world’s first full-suspension cross-country electric mountain bike weighing less than 15 kilograms, equipped with the innovative maxon BIKEDRIVE AIR. In World Cup training, the new e-bike enables more frequent training without exceeding the optimal heart rate and performance range.

Since 2023, we have also been supporting the “Thömus Akros – Youngstars Team” – twelve up-and-coming athletes that take part in national and international mountain bike races. Our knowledge transfer with Thömus is the basis of a long-term partnership.

The autonomous SolarXOne drone from XSun is the result of many years of intensive research and testing in cooperation with first-rank laboratories and universities. The teams of XSun and maxon have been working closely together since the Paris Air Show of 2019. SolarXOne is equipped with two adapted ECX 87 flat motors.

Thanks to their patented dual-wing design, the SolarXOne drones provide extremely stable and secure flight, and starts and landings can be carried out at very low speed. An onboard power system maximizes the utilization of the solar power. It is unrivaled, safe, and extremely robust. In July 2020, SolarXOne successfully completed its first long-distance flight: 12 hours long, with no CO2 emissions, silent, and fully autonomous.

Cutting-edge drone technology and drone scaling is the shared goal of Auterion and maxon. This strategic partnership enables the trailblazing integration of propulsion and avionics systems for drones, and paves the way for the construction of UAV fleets.

The know-how of both companies is pooled to make the development and fleet management of drones more efficient and to drastically reduce costs. Optimal systems interplay between high-precision maxon motors, ESCs, and matching propellers, connected to a complete platform, gives customers the benefit of greater energy efficiency, flexibility, safety, and performance. We use open-source standardization that is crucial for the next phase of scaling and smooth workflow management. In the long-term, we are exploring further opportunities for collaboration in the areas of propulsion systems, autopilot communication, data exchange, and real-time monitoring.