Dainese’s work on protection and ergonomics in the sports world came to the attention of Professor Dava Newman (Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics, MIT, Boston) and Space Architect Guillermo Trotti, who embarked on a fruitful partnership with the company to design a new space suit for NIAC (NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts).
The project aimed to make the suits that astronauts use for extravehicular activities simpler to put on and less tiring to use than those currently adopted, which apply pressure to the body using pressurised air, making movement difficult and energy-intensive.
The Biosuit aims to use Arthur Iberall’s work between 1950 and 1970, together with Professor Newman’s subsequent development of it, to apply mechanical pressure instead of pneumatic pressure, doing so on what are known as “lines of non extension” – lines on the human body where pressure can be applied without limiting movement. The Biosuit design uses these to create a suit for extravehicular activities that is less stiff and bulky than current designs since it no longer needs to contain pressurised air. This would greatly improve suit ergonomics, making astronauts’ work much less tiring.