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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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Exosuit Prototypic Knee: EPK

Resistive/aerobic exercises are invaluable countermeasures to musculoskeletal/sensorimotor/cognitive deconditioning resulting from spaceflight (i.e., microgravity). In preparation for human exploration to the moon and beyond, exercise countermeasures face new mass/volume constraints, rendering current on-orbit systems infeasible. Further, effective exercise systems are critical for maintaining crew performance/health levels necessary for Lunar extravehicular activities (EVAs) and transit. Exosuits are the pinnacle of wearable and adaptable technology set to provide a lightweight, compact, innovative solution to exploration-constrained exercise. However, reliable wearable kinematic sensors integrated with softgoods have not been demonstrated in (operational) spaceflight applications. To address this gap, the project team developed a prototype exosuit knee-joint, replete with relevant sensors for determination of joint angles, and corresponding laboratory testing bench to validate the exosuit sensing performance. This technology advancement is a pre-cursor to a more expansive multi-purpose exosuit concept that provides metrology, exercise, rehabilitation, and/or augmentation.

Fiber optics↗
NASA NTRS2017

CRUX: a Compliant Robotic Upper-Extremity eXosuit for Lightweight, Portable, Multi-DoF Muscular Augmentation

Wearable robots can potentially offer their users enhanced stability and strength. These augmentations are ideally designed to actuate harmoniously with the users movements and provide extra force as needed. The creation of such robots, however, is particularly challenging due to the complexity of the underlying human body. In this paper, we present a compliant, robotic exosuit for upper-extremities called CRUX. This exosuit, inspired by tensegrity models of the human arm, features a lightweight (1.3 kg), flexible design for portability. We also show how CRUX maintains full flexibility of the upper-extremities for its users while providing multi- DoF augmentative strength to the major muscles of the arm, as evident by tracking the heart rate of an individual exercising said arm. Exosuits such as CRUX may be useful in physical therapy and in extreme environments where users are expected to exert their bodies to the fullest extent.

Robotics↗