MIT researchers one step away from 'Second Skin' spacesuit

24 Sep '14

5 min read

Photo courtesy: Jose-Luis Olivares/MIT

To train the material, MIT researchers first wound raw SMA fiber into extremely tight, millimeter-diameter coils, then heated the coils to 450 degrees Celsius to set them into an original, or “trained” shape.

At room temperature, the coils may be stretched or bent, much like a paper clip. However, at a certain “trigger” temperature, in this case, as low as 60 C, the fiber will begin to spring back to its trained, tightly coiled state.

The researchers rigged an array of coils to an elastic cuff, attaching each coil to a small thread linked to the cuff.

They then attached leads to the coils’ opposite ends and applied a voltage, generating heat. Between 60 and 160 Celsius, the coils contracted, pulling the attached threads, and tightening the cuff.

The group’s next challenge is finding a way to keep the suit tight. To do this, there are only two options: either maintaining a constant, toasty temperature, or incorporating a locking mechanism to keep the coils from loosening.

The first option would overheat an astronaut and require heavy battery packs — a design that would significantly impede mobility, and is likely infeasible given the limited power resources available to astronauts in space.

The MIT researchers are currently exploring the second option, looking into potential mechanisms to lock or clip the coils in place.

As for where the coils may be threaded within a spacesuit, they are contemplating several designs. For instance, an array of coils may be incorporated into the center of a suit, with each coil attached to a thread that radiates to the suit’s extremities.

As the coils activate, they could pull on the attached threads — much like the strings of a puppet — to tighten and pressurize the suit.

Or, smaller arrays of coils could be placed in strategic locations within a spacesuit to produce localized tension and pressure, depending on where they are needed to maintain full body compression.

While the researchers are concentrating mostly on applications in space, they say the group’s designs and active materials may be used for other purposes, such as in athletic wear or military uniforms.

“You could use this as a tourniquet system if someone is bleeding out on the battlefield,” MIT researchers inform. “If your suit happens to have sensors, it could tourniquet you in the event of injury without you even having to think about it.”

“An integrated suit is exciting to think about to enhance human performance. We’re trying to keep our astronauts alive, safe, and mobile, but these designs are not just for use in space”, they add. (AR)

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