Station Science Top News: Jan. 30, 2022
A robotic glove developed from technologies created for the International Space Station (ISS) experiment Robonaut 2 is now being used in factories around the world to reduce hand strain and injury in factory workers.
Robonaut was developed to demonstrate the capabilities of humanoid robotic technology on the space station. When NASA and General Motors (GM) collaborated for the construction of Robonaut 2, a more dexterous follow-up study, they also developed technology that enabled the creation of the industrial-strength robotic glove, Ironhand. The glove has now been tested in GM, Airbus, General Electric, and Eiffage factories around the world to reduce hand strain for workers. Feedback from users has been overwhelmingly positive, especially from those with pre-existing hand injuries. Some workers have reported that they were able to stop using pain medication. NASA also plans to use advances made under the project for robots to maintain the planned lunar Gateway outpost, which will only intermittently house astronaut crews. This could make sustaining our new orbital outposts easier.
Swedish company Bioservo Technologies’ Ironhand, based on a set of patents from NASA and General Motors’ Robo-Glove, is the world’s first industrial-strength robotic glove for factory workers and others who perform repetitive manual tasks. Credits: Bioservo Technologies/Niklas Lagström
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As it became clear that COVID-19 was transmitted through the air, several companies realized their space-station-derived air-quality technologies could help combat its spread. These businesses have produced many air purifiers and sensors over the last two years, helping reduce risk for many people in hospitals, shopping centers, office buildings, airports, and buses.
Scientists behind space plant-growth studies noticed that buildup of the naturally occurring hormone ethylene destroyed plants within confined growth chambers. Researchers developed and successfully tested an ethylene-removal system aboard station: Advanced Astroculture, or ADVASC. The solution eliminated more than just ethylene, ridding the air of additional pollutants, too. Realizing the potential for use in confined spaces on the ground, scientists adapted the ADVASC system for use in Earth-air purification. Multiple companies now use this technology in their air purifiers, which were shown to be effective in eliminating the SARS-CoV-2 virus. They have produced and distributed numerous purifiers throughout the country during the pandemic.
An additional technology tested for detecting contaminants on the space station went on to be included in an air sensor used on Earth. The company behind it created a display panel shows the “virus propagation risk index” in shared spaces, letting people know to reduce crowding or take other steps to limit risk.
NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson checks out soybean plants growing in the Advanced Astroculture, or ADVASC, plant-growth chamber on the space station in 2002. The photocatalytic air scrubber that regulated ethylene levels in ADVASC and its predecessor ended up eliminating many other contaminants and eventually led to several lines of commercial air purifiers. Credits: NASA
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Researchers analyzed changes in the concentrations of blood plasma proteins associated with heartbeat frequency variation and nervous system regulation. Studies such as these support researchers in identifying new blood-based indicators to understand how the interconnected cardiovascular and nervous systems influence homeostasis and readaptation after spaceflight, which could help us prepare for human trips to Mars.
Based on pre-flight measurements of autonomic regulation, cosmonauts were grouped as sympathetic (stressed) or parasympathetic (calm) individuals. The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary actions of your body, like your heartbeat. For this study, scientists used blood proteins to understand how astronauts with different nervous system tendencies reacted to the stressful experience of spaceflight. Results showed that after returning to Earth, the nervous system response of the two groups of astronauts could not be differentiated. The dynamic changes in protein concentrations after flight suggest that the autonomic nervous system considers internal and external factors to ensure the adaptation of the human body in space. These results enhance our understanding of homeostasis and readaptation after spaceflight. The research used data from the space station ISS Medical Monitoring study.