{"id":15389,"date":"2024-07-25T15:37:49","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T15:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/TheNextWeb=1408810"},"modified":"2024-07-25T15:37:49","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T15:37:49","slug":"airbus-backs-space-gym-to-jump-start-astronaut-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.londonchiropracter.com\/?p=15389","title":{"rendered":"Airbus backs space gym to jump-start astronaut health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An exercise machine for astronauts has entered an Airbus accelerator.<\/p>\n

Built by UK startup Physical Mind London<\/a>, the device<\/span> mitigates the impacts of zero gravity, which can be brutal.<\/p>\n

After six months in space, astronauts can lose up to 20% of their bone mass<\/a>. Their muscles can also shrink dramatically. On short flights, they can suffer muscle loss of 20%. If no countermeasures are applied, this can rise to 50%.<\/p>\n

Physical Mind London<\/a> wants to provide those countermeasures. The company\u2019s flagship product is the HIFIm (High Frequency Impulses for Microgravity machine).<\/p>\n

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HIFIm provides a workout based on one special exercise: jumping.<\/p>\n

Studies show that jumping provides efficient maintenance for muscles and bones during space<\/a> travel<\/span>. Research by the European Space Agency<\/a> (ESA) found that jumping for just four to six minutes a day can allay the damage done by microgravity.<\/p>\n

HIFIm simulates the movement on a bench-like device. No electricity is required for the system.<\/p>\n

Astronauts first lie down on the machine. They then push their feet against a pad to \u201cjump\u201d horizontally. High-tensile springs add control and resistance to the exercise.<\/p>\n

According to Physical Mind London, the system can reduce the time that astronauts need to exercise by over 80%.<\/p>\n

A jump-start for astronauts<\/h2>\n

The founder of Physical Mind London, John E Kennett, was previously an aerospace engineer. He has also worked as physical therapist.<\/p>\n

Kennett drew on both these fields to design HIFIm. He describes the device as \u201cthe next generation of multi-exercise countermeasures for long duration human space exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kennett has already  company has already tested the tech in microgravity. Budding astronauts have exercised on HIFIm during parabolic flights, which reproduce weightlessness by soaring up and down at stomach-turning 45 angles.<\/p>\n