NASA turns to competition to find a better astronaut glove

It may not be quite as exciting as the X-Prize competitions, but NASA's latest Centennial Challenge looks like it could prove to be fairly consequential in its own right, tasking competitors to build a better astronaut glove, NewScientist reports. Set to go down on May 2nd and 3rd, the challenge will pit six teams against each other, with $250,000 in prize money up for grabs, not to mention the possibility of the winning design actually being put into use in space. From the looks of it, the entrants themselves will also face more than a few challenges, with one test requiring a team member wearing their glove to squeeze a ball inside a pressurized box for 30 minutes -- if blood starts dripping out, they're disqualified. As with its other challenges, however, NASA isn't expecting to find a winner in its first year, so those that missed out this time 'round may still get a shot at making the cut for next year's competition

[Photo courtesy of NASA]

[senninha @ May 2nd 2007 12:43AM]

now here's a question... where do you hear about this stuff BEFORE everybody is already signed up for the competition?

[Joe @ May 14th 2007 6:47PM]

http://centennialchallenges.nasa.gov/

[Josh @ Apr 30th 2007 7:35PM]

They'd better hope that EW (the guy who stirred up that storm about the Engadget mascot contest) doesn't catch wind of this.

[Bryan T @ Apr 30th 2007 7:52PM]

I don't think your blood would drip in a pressurized box...more like gush.

[John P. @ Apr 30th 2007 8:24PM]

Though not quite set up in the same way, I cannot fail to think of "Dune" in how they describe the box...

[Darwin @ Apr 30th 2007 8:27PM]

My GOD, the most obvious improvement in a glove like this has GOT to be a tight grip in the 'rest' position.

-Use thinner material in the palm
-Include a system of thin steel cables strung along the undersides of the fingers, tension them with a spring setup, adjustable at the wrist
-At rest, the glove is balled up like a fist

This would make gripping items a no-brainer and completely effortless once the grip is established. Gotta be a patent in there somewhere...

[TH @ May 1st 2007 5:28AM]

The problem with Darwin's design (if I understood it correctly) is that we have very little strength in the muscles that open the fist, but significantly more power is available for squeezing. Therefore having auxiliary power to squeeze your fist shut would make the system quite difficult to operate, releasing your grip would be very demanding, for instance. I would assume there are other challenges and specifications for this glove than just holding a ball under pressure, and therefore I guess it's back to the drawing board for Darwin...

[Darwin @ May 1st 2007 11:02AM]

TH,
Why would I go back to the drawing board?
First of all, tension is adjustable. Secondly, astronauts already have to go through training for different things, training the muscles to open the hand would give a significant savings in the long run when they don't have to hold grip so much in space. Thirdly, you only have to open your hand for -brief- periods of time to put something in your grasp. Once it's there, it stays there.
While the test mentioned in the article stressed only grip, I have to think that this is a critical issue in a situation where long-term grip means everything.

[Rocket Punch @ Apr 30th 2007 9:49PM]

ripped, for her pleasure.

[Ben @ Apr 30th 2007 11:00PM]

Am I the only one that thinks its weird to bleed while squeezing a ball? Or did I read something wrong?

[supermeerkat @ May 1st 2007 4:56AM]

At NASA, men are men and the weak hearted best stay away.

NASA Employee #1: I'm gripping this ball. See how my hand bleeds. Ha ha ha!

NASA Employee #2: I think I'll hit you with this brick whilst you do that!

NASA Employee #1: Go ahead and do that. Pain is for the weak!

Also, In the early days of the space program, astronauts where expected to hold their breath for weeks at a time.