Overview:
NASA is seeking resistive exercise devices that will help crew members to maintain muscle strength and mass. Solutions need to be lightweight, compact, and provide loads up to 400+ lbs.
Background:
Exercise is paramount to maintaining crew health during space exploration missions. As NASA prepares for longer manned missions to Mars, there is a need for exercise countermeasures that can help crewmembers fight muscle atrophy and physical wasting while in a microgravity environment to maintain their health and ability to perform mission tasks. The microgravity environment restricts the use of traditional weights for resistance training. Additionally, volume and mass of the equipment should be minimized due to limited space.
Constraints:
Resistive exercise devices of interest would be as close as possible to the following parameters:
·        Enable exercise in the absence of gravity
·        Provide loads ranging from 20- 400+ lbs (600 lbs is ideal)
·        Provide load increments between 2.5, 5, or, 10 lbs
·        Feature both concentric and eccentric loading
·        Be as compact and lightweight as possible
·        Have minimal setup
Possible Solution Areas:
·        Pneumatic pressure devices
·        Tension based exercise devices
·        Spring-based devices
·        Motor-powered devices
·        Electromagnetic resistance
Desired outcome of the solution:
NASA seeks to test promising devices in-house
Related TechNeeds:
NASA Seeking: Continuous Arterial Blood-Pressure or Syncope Symptom Monitoring Devices
NASA Seeking: Behavioral Health Emergency monitoring capabilities and expertise for spaceflight
NASA Seeking: Wearables to monitor dermal bioindicators
Image by Freepik
