Generations of astronauts have complained about the difficulty of moving their limbs inside the suit: pressure protects the body but makes movement difficult. New “radioactive devices” tested during a two-week ground mission in Australia could change that, writes Space.com. The product will reportedly be worn inside a spacesuit, equipped with artificial muscles, and will facilitate walking mobility – both for exit on the Moon and on Mars.
The artificial “muscles” in the suit are placed in two layers: outer – nylon, inner – made of sealed thermoplastic. For heavy-duty parts (knee straps and waistbands), Kevlar is used – it gives strength and resistance to stretching. Pulvirinti took the suit to Australia, home to CRATER (Covered Regolith Analog Terrain for Experimental Research), one of the largest lunar surface simulation sites. In Australia, “astronauts” are focusing on testing the Pulvirinti suit for comfort, mobility and biomechanical performance when walking, lifting and carrying. The technology is still in its early stages, but the developer hopes to test it further on the International Space Station. Pulvirinti also sees widespread use of the suit on Earth: such functionality would be useful for people with reduced mobility and those undergoing physical rehabilitation.
Octopus Man: Engineers create robotic arms for astronauts
The new exoskeleton that makes virtual reality physically tangible: video
Technology combining humans with robots shown in Japan: video
Subscribe and read “Science” on Telegram
