Astrofit

THE CHALLENGE: Astrocize

Space Station

Find a way to adapt common gym tools for a reduced gravity environment and design a workout routine that can minimize bone and muscular loss while being fun and easy to use during a long term mission. In doing so consider constraints regarding weight (equipment should weigh less than 500kg) and dimensions. Consider incorporating virtual reality to simulate a jog through an astronaut’s favorite Earth destinations or incorporate gaming to motivate users.

Explanation

In the last 48 hours me and my team have been working on ways to find a solution for an exercise machine and in order to present our ideas better we have created a 3D animation (we attached a link of the animated videos in the solution video part) of an astronaut’s workout routine aboard the ISS on a multifunctional exercise machine.

During the idea generating process we considered the problems that NASA indicated such as :

Bone and muscular loss
Excessive weight and volume of the exercising machines currently in use
The psychological state of the astronauts (i.e. loneliness and lack of motivation)

To answer this challenge we designed an exercise machine which we named ASTROFIT with which users can work out every muscle and bone group in their body while still being fun and easy to use.

At the moment NASA astronauts use various exercise devices such as: aRES, COLBERT and Tvis. These separate machines are very heavy, burdensome and take a certain amount of the crew’s precious time to be assembled. They also focus on separate body parts which makes them impossible to be left out.

Astrofit is a machine that weighs significantly less and takes far less space. In order for it to work in microgravity it should be attached to one of the walls in the International Space Station after the construction is set. Its main parts are an omnidirectional treadmill that allows the users to move (walk or run) in every direction and a cable extension system. Astrofit is 1.5 meters long and 1.5 wide, which should be enough for the user to have enough space even for the fastest speed (about 6 mph). Its weight depends on the materials chosen for the construction but we strongly suggest these materials which can help to minimize it:

Graphene (an allotrope of carbon) that is the strongest material ever discovered and also incredibly light (0.77milligrams per square meter).
Sorbothane (a visco-elastic polymer) which absorbs 80% of impact force with proper dynamic deflections and has a low creep rate. It can be used in the construction of the springs which are a part of the vibration isolation system of the treadmill.

The treadmill helps to build strong bones, strengthen muscles and improve cardiovascular fitness which makes it an irreplaceable device. The omnidirectional treadmill is a huge improvement on the traditional one and enables the user to feel as if he is moving freely in space. It actually consists of two treadmills that move perpendicularly to each other. Movement will be detected with a harness which detects force applied by the user’s body and translates it as input and as a result the treadmill will always move in the opposite direction regardless of his movement. It’s a simple mechanism – the further you lean, the faster the treadmill will move. Of course, the user will be strapped with bungee cords which will ensure he will stay on the ground.

The cable extension system helps the user work out mostly upper body parts which can’t be entirely covered by the treadmill. It makes use of a vacuum system consisting of two canisters that are placed on each side of the treadmill. Each canister contains a vacuum and a piston that is attached to a cable/bungee cord. When the user pulls the bungee cord the vacuum in the canister continuously pulls the cords back and so it creates constant resistance. The way the user exercises is really similar to the one on Earth and he will be able to perform nearly every exercise he did back home at the gym such as squats, deadlifts, barbell curls etc. His feet will be strapped to the ground on a special platform which will be mountable to the treadmill.

Astronauts go into space for the sake of science and human progress, sacrificing their everyday lives with their families and friends. It is certainly expected for them to experience loneliness, detachment and nostalgia for their home. It is an immense burden which thoroughly effects their psychological state and behavior. But what if they could see their loved ones, even take a walk with them through their favorite park or run the marathon they attended every year with their friends. All of that is possible with the virtual reality headset. Without it the experience of moving on an omnidirectional treadmill would be nothing. Gaming can also be incorporated in order to keep them entertained while they are operating an immensely important task – maintaining their health.

By coming up with Astrofit and designing it we have made it more practical to use and assemble aboard the ISS and have addressed not only the astronauts’ physical health, but most importantly their psychological well-being because we owe that and much more to them.

Resources Used

http://www.sorbothane.com/material-properties.aspx

http://www.graphenea.com/pages/graphene-properties...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnidirectional_trea...

http://www.geek.com/science/geek-answers-what-is-g...

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/featu...

https://www.inverse.com/article/13219-nasa-has-a-s...