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Power Generating Spacesuits

Posted by samzenpus on from the the-electric-slide dept.

Maggie McKee writes "Piezoelectric sensors could help power future space missions. Astronauts' spacesuits may one day be covered in motion-sensitive proteins that could generate power from the astronauts' movement, according to futuristic research being conducted by a new lab in Cambridge, Massachusetts, US. Such 'power skins' could also be used to coat future human bases on Mars, where they could produce energy from the Martian wind. Eventually, the biologically derived suits might even be able to heal themselves."

4 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. Power generating? by Stormx2 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What? The suits are powered by the astronauts' movement, and that energy is provided by food? It's more conserving energy than anything. If we could somehow train our astronauts not to play golf on missions, we could save billions on R&D.

    Anyway, I just love the capitalisation of "Could" in mid-sentence.

  2. Great, but ask the astronauts first... by Nefarious+Wheel · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...I'm sure all they want is more of their own personal energy dumped into flexing their suits...

    --
    Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
  3. Re:Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars by fiannaFailMan · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wonder where he got it from?
    The stillsuits in Frank Herbert's Dune?
    --
    Drill baby drill - on Mars
  4. Re:Wouldn't this make it harder to move? by ceoyoyo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Except that you don't really want them getting extra exercise while they're in their suits -- one of the big problems with space construction is that working in space suits is very tiring. The rest of the time it's not enough to exercise to prevent muscle atrophy... you also have to load your bones to prevent bone loss.