The EVA Glove

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(No Transcript)
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Contents

• Importance
• Brief History
• Glove Functions
• The Current Glove and its Problems
• Future Solutions
• Conclusion

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Importance

• Space exploration is inefficient without humans.
• The most useful tools an astronaut has are his
  brain and his hands.

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History

• Litton began modern research in the 1950s for a
  possible Lunar Mission.
• Apollo needed mobile gloves (3.7psi).
• The Shuttle Program needed MORE mobility.

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Glove Functions

• Keep the hands at a safe Pressure.
• Protect against extreme Temperatures.
• Micrometeoroid Impact protection.
• Provide Mobility.
• Allow Tactility.

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The Current EVA Glove

• Allows humans to interact with harsh
  environments.
• Restricts humans from interacting with harsh
  environments.

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The Two BIG Problems

• Mobility
• Tactility

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Mobility

• Restricted by Internal Gas-Pressure and
  Material.
• Necessary for endurance and effectiveness.
• Metacarpophalangeal joint (MCP) and 11 others.
• The Thumb, Fingers, and Wrist.

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Tactility

• Dulled through Material
• Necessary to perform delicate tasks.

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What is necessary?

• Tight Fit
• Small Wrinkle Moment
• Less Material

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The Shuttle Glove

• 7 Main Constituents
• 1.) A polyurethane Pressure Bladder and fabric
  Pressure Restraint Layer.
• 2.) An adjustable, oval palmar Restraint Bar.

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• 3.) A TMPG cover with gauntlet and wristwatch
  cover flap.
• 4.) A wrist tether strap arrangement.5.) A
  stainless steel wrist disconnect ring.6.) A
  wrist gimbal ring.7.) RTV grip coating and
  heaters.

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Future Solutions

• Mechanical Counter Pressure Gloves (hybrid suit).
• Material Innovations.
• Bladder Design
• Robotic Hands?

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Recapitulation

• Apollo Glove started the need.
• Shuttle increased it.
• Future Mars missions raise the bar.
• Gas Pressure (restricts mobility).
• Protective outer-layers (lessen tactility).
• Current technology is not enough.
• MCP, Bladders and/or new Materials could be the
  answer.

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Moving On

• Future Research

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Overview

• The Skinsuit Glove
• Clapps Proposal
• My Proposal
• And the winner is

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Remember Mechanical Counter Pressure?

• Its back, but now only for the hands.
• A Body is too complicated now.
• A hybrid design is much quicker and easier.
  (modeling, memory).

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The Skinsuit Glove

• Stemmed from Space Activity Suit (Dr. Paul Webb)
• Researched by W. Mitchell Clapp.
• Promising discoveries.
• There is still more to be done.
• The Hybrid Spacesuit moving and feeling in
  space can be possible.

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Did you say Clapp?

• Research completed in 1984.
• Compared his skinsuit glove with an Apollo A7L-B.
• His glove did not have a TMPG.
• Measured joint mobility and tactility.
• Two Phases
• Two Subjects (one per phase).

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Did you say Clapp? (cont.)

• ComparedNaked HandA7L-B (pressurized at
  3.5psi)A7L-B (no pressurization)Skinsuit
  Spandex (3.5psi)Skinsuit Rubber (3.5psi)A7L-B
  (pressurized at 4.1psi)A7L-B (no
  pressurization)Skinsuit Spandex (4.1psi)

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Tests

• Mobility Pin-Hole and finger, thumb, and wrist
  displacement.
• Tactility T
• Fatigue Grip Strength
• Percentage comparisons
• Excellent Results

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My Proposal

• Revisit Clapps Experiment
• Shuttle Series 6000 v. Skinsuit 2
• Similar Tests
• More accurate data analysis.

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Skinsuit 2

• Equipped with a TMPG
• Modified Damming Connection.
• Newer materials or Spandex?
• And a zipper too.

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Data Acquisition

• Joint Angle and Muscle Signature (JAMS) System
• U of Maryland 1996
• Joint Movement
• Muscle Activity
• Computer Analysis

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And the winner is

• Skinsuit 2 is the projected winner.LighterInward
  pressure
• Margin of victory.Improve itorRemove it

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Wrapping up

• More is desired from the current glove.
• There are several solutions.
• A hybrid suit is a very realistic solution.
• More realistic tests need to be performed in
  order to prove.
• Mars is on the horizon.

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