Not only does the technology have extraterrestrial benefits, but it could also help people who need support with their mobility on earth too.
The soft robotic exosuit is designed to resemble a garment and is mostly made of fabric material. Worn underneath the spacesuit, the exosuit features artificial muscles that work automatically to help astronauts reduce muscular fatigue while maintaining natural movements during future Moon and Mars missions.
Last month, Dr Emanuele Pulvirenti, Research Associate in the University of Bristol’s Soft Robotics Lab, travelled to the University of Adelaide, Australia, home to the Exterres CRATER facility – the largest simulated lunar environment in the Southern Hemisphere.
Here the exosuit was tested as part of an international ‘proof of concept’ simulated space mission run by the Austrian Space Forum. Dubbed the ‘World’s Biggest Analog’, the mission saw 200 scientists from 25 countries working together on different experiments and operational simulations across four continents and reporting back to the mission control base in Austria.
The ADAMA mission organised by ICEE.space, which Dr Pulvirenti was part of, was the first time a soft robotic exosuit had been integrated into a spacesuit, and the first field test of its kind. The experiments evaluated comfort, mobility and biomechanical effects when performing planetary surface tasks such as walking, climbing and load-carrying on loose terrain.
Dr Pulvirenti handmade the exosuit himself, teaching himself to sew as part of the process. “Fortunately my grandmother worked as a tailor and she was able to give me some advice,” Dr Pulvirenti said. He developed the lightweight exosuit alongside Vivo Hub colleagues at the University of Bristol.
The artificial muscles in the suit consist of two layers: an outer nylon layer and an inner thermoplastic layer that allows airtight inflation. The anchoring components, such as the waistband and knee straps, are made from Kevlar for high strength and tension resistance.
Dr Pulvirenti said: “The hope is that this technology could pave the way for future wearable robotic systems that enhance astronaut performance and reduce fatigue during extra-vehicular surface activities.
“I would love to continue developing this technology so that it could eventually be tested at the International Space Station.”
Dr Pulvirenti explained: “It's exciting that this technology could also potentially benefit people too. This exosuit is assistive, meaning it artificially boosts the lower-limb muscles, but we have also separately developed a resistive exosuit, which applies load to the body to help maintain muscle mass.
“Our next goal is to create a hybrid suit that can switch between assistance and resistance modes as needed, which could be of great benefit for people in need of support with mobility going through physical rehabilitation.”