AstroFit - Healthcare and fitness monitoring apps for astronauts

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

Maintaining a healthy and fit body among astronauts in space is very important. With good body conditions, not only tasks could be delivered without over-stressing astronaut’s physiology, but the risks of developing physical diseases and deficiencies could be reduced. To maintain good health conditions, exercise routines were among the crucial element in the astronaut’s daily schedule. Although there is current exercise regime implemented as part of the program, further improvements could be applied to manage and monitor the program better.

AstroFit is an app designed for the astronauts working in space. Not only it keeps the fitness schedule in check, but astronauts could finally have the "fun" factor while doing it. Among the interesting features of the apps includes:

Summary of health parameters
Suggest and remind exercise routine and schedules
Receive input of parameters
Export health condition to other platform or devices
Provide diet required
Customize entertainment library

And most importantly,

Each one of the crew members could have the fun activity among themselves by competing with each other on the most minutes spent on exercise.

The way it works is, every astronauts could install the apps in their tablet or smart devices and every time they spend the hours to exercise, they would get points based on how much minutes they spent on specific exercise machines. More time means more points, and at certain points, they could unlock achievement badges such as:
1. Baby Meteor: The most minimum minutes spent
2. Healthy Sunshine: Medium minutes spent
3. Radiance Supernova: Frequent minutes spent
4. Neutron Superstar: The king of fitness with the most machines used.

With this fun-element--and-achievement-like features, astronauts could have the extra motivation to exercise and keep their body healthy and ultimately return to Earth in the best condition.

Resources Used

Reading and links:

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/formedia/presskits/fi...

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

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research...

http://www.wired.com/2009/04/astromuscles2/

https://www.nasa.gov/content/exercise-physiology

http://www.nasa.gov/content/train-like-an-astronau...

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/foreducators/stem-on-...

http://nasa.tumblr.com/post/136706596374/exercisin...

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-na...

http://www.nasa.gov/content/expedition-40-begins-w...