inflatable work boots for astronauts in space
AIR-0 is a pair of inflatable work boots for astronauts who work outside of a spaceship when they’re out of Earth. Designers Gert Duvenhage, Orr Kalati, Yuying Lin, and Jacob Payne develop the techy footwear at MIT, keeping in mind the astronauts floating around the Low Earth Orbit, or LEO. Since there’s no gravity in LEO, it’s hard for the space cadets to stay in one place. It’s also challenging for them to push and pull objects. The designers say that their inflatable work boots for astronauts can help with this issue.
The footwear has two main parts. One part is a lock, while the other part is air support. The bottom of the shoes is 3D printed soles that can rotate. The footwear also connects to a part on the outside of the spaceship. Because of this, tied using a transparent tube, the bags retain their air, and the astronauts can keep feeling as if they were standing firmly even if they were actually floating in space.
all images courtesy of Gert Duvenhage, Orr Kalati, Yuying Lin, Jacob Payne
two soft airbags fill with air around the ankle
The work boots for astronauts are inflatable, built at MIT as part of the Space Architecture Studio. When the boot locks, two soft airbags fill with air around the ankle. These bags are called pneumatic cushions, and when the air filling is complete, they become firm. This gives support to the ankle, which helps the astronauts find their footing. They use it when they need to move tools or build things outside a space shop. The designers say that the footwear is made from different materials. Some parts are 3D printed hard plastic, while others come from soft plastic.
There’s also light foam and soft cloth inside the inflatable work boots for astronauts to cushion their feet. The designers also make the airbags from TPU, and they bear parts that let the air in and out. These valves allow the user to fill and expel the air from the footwear. AIR-0 then uses soft robotics and 3D printing to create designs that can support researchers in space when they need to maintain their vessels or make them feel as if they were walking on solid ground. So far, there’s no news yet on the availability of the inflatable work boots for astronauts.
AIR-0 is a pair of inflatable work boots for astronauts who work outside of a spaceship
these boots have 3D printing rotating soles
the footwear has two main parts: one is a lock, while the other part is air support
the shoes connect to a part on the outside of the spaceship
video of the air filling the bags around the footwear
the shoes have a transparent tube linked to the spaceship
when the air filling is complete, the footwear becomes firm
there’s also light foam and soft cloth inside the shoes
the designers make the airbags from TPU plastic
project info:
name: AIR-0
design: Gert Duvenhage, Orr Kalati, Yuying Lin, Jacob Payne | @gpjduvenhage, @orrkalati, @cjacobpayne
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