Prototype Cuff Checklist with Soft Fabric Switches for Space Suit (2014)

Thomas L. Martin, United States

Paola A Zellner Bassett, United States

Description

The purpose of this prototype was to explore ways of integrating an interactive, flexible checklist into the cuff of NASA’s extravehicular activity (EVA) space suit.  The existing EVA suit uses a paper checklist.  The prototype cuff checklist incorporates three soft fabric buttons, constructed of two layers of conductive fabric separated by a porous piece of foam, to allow an astronaut to navigate through a menu with the buttons as Up, Down, and Select/Back.

The students who created this prototype are Adam Barnes, Mitchell Harris, Abby Jetmundsen, and Andrew Weckstein, working with NASA mentor Shane McFarland at Johnson Space Center.  The students were supervised by professors Tom Martin and Paola Zellner.

Acknowledgements: This work was supported by funding from the Virginia Space Grant Consortium and the Virginia Tech Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology.

Medium

Fabric, foam, conductive fabric

Image credits

Thomas L. Martin