Technology has emerged to help humans maintain their sense of balance even in outer space. Tests of wearable equipment using this technology yielded significant results, drawing attention from academia.
A research team at Brandeis University in the United States unveiled Vibrotractor, a wearable device that helps humans maintain their sense of balance in microgravity space, through official channels on the 10th.
The research team has been designing technology to help humans properly distinguish between up, down, left and right in preparation for when humans one day enter space. On Earth, gravity acts on the otoliths in the human inner ear (an organ located near the root of the semicircular canal that senses gravity or the direction of the body), allowing the person to perceive the tilt from the equilibrium point, but in space without gravity, the sense of direction is lost.
It is difficult for people to maintain balance on planets outside the Earth or in outer space due to the influence of microgravity. <사진=NASA 공식 홈페이지>
The research team, which wanted to overcome biological constraints through technology, created a vibrotractor equipped with a small rotating shaft. When this is attached to an arm or leg, it vibrates to notify when a person’s body is tilted or upside down.
The research team gathered 30 test subjects to examine the performance of the vibrotractor. The research team divided them into three groups: A, B, and C. Group A had no practice, Group B was equipped with only a vibrotractor, and Group C was equipped with a vibrotractor and practiced before testing their sense of balance.
Group C subjects riding the special rotating device generally maintained correct posture up, down, left and right. They soon regained their balance thanks to the vibration that alerted them when their bodies were out of alignment. Groups A and B had more difficulty maintaining balance than group C.
Astronauts are trained to maintain their sense of balance in preparation for exposure to a microgravity environment. <사진=NASA 공식 홈페이지>
An experiment official said, “Given the current speed and level of space development and technology, it is highly likely that humans will someday live on other planets or colonies. Humans are affected by various influences in a microgravity environment, but maintaining a sense of balance is the most important.” said.
This official said, “If we can maintain equilibrium with the help of a small device such as a vibrotractor, it will be quite useful when staying in space for a long time.” He added, “If we maintain proper balance in microgravity space, the burden that space places on the human body may be reduced.” “He added.
In future experiments, the research team plans to recreate a gravitational environment at the level of the Moon or Mars and investigate the effects of the vibrotractor. The research team expected that if significant results were obtained here, it would be possible to put it into practice.
Reporter Jeong Ian anglee@sputnik.kr
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