Dassault Systèmes Employee Sets GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ Title in Paracycling in New Milestone for Inclusive Mobility

• Paracyclist and Dassault Systèmes employee Kazuhiko Kanno set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the farthest distance by handcycle in one hour (male): 28.331 km (17.6 miles)
• Dassault Systèmes hosted the “Mobility Night Ride” in Paris, gathering 3,000 people to celebrate Kanno’s record and the boundless capabilities of the human spirit
• Virtual twin experiences help innovators understand how design decisions impact a person’s mobility and drive the creation of more inclusive solutions

VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France — October 7, 2024 — Dassault Systèmes (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA) today announced a milestone celebrating inclusive mobility and the boundless capabilities of the human spirit:  Kazuhiko Kanno, a Japanese paracyclist and Dassault Systèmes employee, set a new GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title for the farthest distance by handcycle in one hour (male):  28.331 km (17.6 miles).  

Kanno established the record on October 3, 2024 at the Longchamp cycling ring, a 3.541 km (2.2 miles) path in the Bois de Boulogne park in Paris, by completing eight laps in one hour.  The next day, Dassault Systèmes hosted the “Mobility Night Ride,” an 11 km (6.8 miles) cycling and roller-skating ride through Paris that gathered 3,000 people to celebrate alongside Kanno.

Kanno’s record and the Mobility Night Ride are part of Dassault Systèmes’ “The Only Progress is Human” initiative, which aims to increase awareness of today’s societal and environmental challenges and inspire people to use the virtual world to drive sustainable innovations for a better future.  Dassault Systèmes organized the record and ride to highlight the need for mobility to be equally accessible for all, and the role of virtual twin experiences as powerful accelerators for creating more inclusive technologies and cities.

“Everyone, regardless of their physical abilities, possesses the capability to achieve their goals. Kazuhiko Kanno’s record-setting achievement represents more than just speed and endurance – it displays his incredible strength and skills.  Through our initiatives, we want to show the capabilities of the human spirit as well as shed light on the role of virtual twin experiences in facilitating new mobility solutions for a more inclusive and accessible world,” said Victoire de Margerie, Vice President, Corporate Equity, Marketing & Communications, Dassault Systèmes.

More than 50% of the world’s population resides in urban areas, where mobility plays a role in accessing resources, employment and services. However, traditional infrastructures and technologies may not adequately accommodate diverse needs.

By incorporating virtual twins in urban planning, architecture and transportation systems, as well as in the design of products for travelling, sports and healthcare, innovators can simulate and analyze the impacts of various elements on a person’s mobility, and craft more accessible, sustainable and accommodating technologies.  

Dassault Systèmes’ 3DEXPERIENCE platform and applications are used by innovators worldwide to create seamless and sustainable inclusive mobility solutions such as prostheses, wheelchairs for poor road conditions, bikes for outdoor enthusiasts, optimized transportation planning and assistive systems for the blind.