A Life Without Limits

The Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) will host, on 11 and 12 May, the 1st Conference on Technical Aids for Accessible Sport – A Life Without Limits, an event organised by American Space Valencia (ASV). Its main aim is to highlight key innovations developed in the United States in areas such as fitness-tracking devices, virtual reality training, and technology for adapted sports.

The event will begin on Monday, 11 May at 18:30, in Building 4P, with the exhibition "AstrOlympics", where visitors can explore the impact of speed, mass, time, pressure, rotation, and other factors on remarkable achievements at the Olympic Games through striking photographs and posters.

To close the first day, also in Building 4P, the documentary "The Dawn Wall" will be screened from 19:00. The film tells the story of climber Tommy Caldwell, who was kidnapped years ago in Kyrgyzstan, and his attempt to free-climb 900 metres up the steepest face of the Dawn Wall in Yosemite National Park.

Tuesday 12 May: FabLab on Wheels, ideathon, accessibility simulations and workshops

On Tuesday, 12 May, the Ágora at the Vera campus of UPV (València) will host the second day of the event, from 10:00 to 14:00, with free admission for all. The travelling FabLab – Cuenca will offer live demonstrations of digital fabrication, including explanations of the process and the materials required.

In addition, there will be an exhibition of adapted sports devices with hands-on interaction with real prototypes; virtual reality simulations of accessibility scenarios in sport; an open ideathon to identify barriers in sport and propose inclusive solutions; and Accessible Olympics, featuring wheelchair trials, adapted basketball, and cycling. The programme also includes inclusive videogame experiences and inclusive sports exhibitions of paddle tennis (12:30, UPV paddle courts), frontenis (13:00, UPV Trinquet) and A-Ball (13:30, UPV Sports Pavilion).

Through the organisation of this 1st Conference on Technical Aids for Accessible Sport – A Life Without Limits, ASV—the long-running collaboration project launched in 2013 between the Embassy of the United States in Madrid and UPV—aims to raise awareness of accessible design and to promote experimentation, learning and the exchange of ideas among participants.