July 18, 2007 4:00 AM PDT
Newman and her associates have been working on the project for about seven years, and she says the BioSuit could be ready about 10 years from now. The finished BioSuit, she said, might incorporate some elements of traditional suits, including a gas-pressured torso section and helmet. The MIT team has been focusing on the arms and legs of the outfit, which would have to handle the most complex movement demands.
Today's big suits--which can weigh in at around 300 pounds--are manageable for working in microgravity environments, such as when a resident of the orbiting International Space Station does a space walk. But, Newman said in a statement, "it's a whole different ballgame when we go to the moon or Mars, and we have to go back to walking and running, or loping."
Photo by Donna Coveney/MIT
