Orbiting
Orbiting refers to a body's movement within a specific gravity that takes the form of an elliptical or ring-like shape, a movement, and transit we associated with space travel or working within outer space. Astronauts and scientists working in space require extraordinary shells within which they can work both outsides and within the spacecraft in zero gravity. The journey to space is complicated, but with the fashioning of a specialized suit, a human can survive within the stars' oxygen-free realm.
Spaceman in Soho
Date: 2015
Medium: Photograph
Image Courtesy of Phil Penman
Description: Phil Penman is an artist interested in photographing unstaged scenes of New York City life while simultaneously commenting on unseen bridges; for example, this image links the stars and outer space to bicycling, simply by the presence of a space suit wearer standing bizarrely in a crosswalk, amidst other pedestrians. The other notable element of this image is how it contains many vehicles and costumed bodies in sneakers, jackets, and strollers engaged as mobile bodies.
Pressure Suit, Apollo, A1-C, Borman, Training
Date: 1973
Medium: HT-1 Nomex, anodized aluminum, polyester, velcro, nylon
Image Courtesy of The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum
Description: This A1-C suit astronaut suit was made by The David Clark Company in 1973, and Frank Astronaut Borman wore it in his training sessions but not as a final suit for the Apollo mission. This suit weighed approximately 25 lbs, and the wearer of this A1-C suit had to wear a cotton constant wear garment underneath and five of its major assemblies, including the main suit, helmet, boots, gloves, and neck seal. The design offered an approximately comfort and easy body movement in the space.
Textile-Based Capacitive Strain Sensor
Date: 2017
Medium: Silver plated nylon knit, silicone elastomer, knit fabric, the thermoplastic polyurethane-glass-composite film, fusible interfacing, coaxial cables
Credit: Asli Atalay, Vanessa Sanchez, Ozgur Atalay, Daniel M. Vogt, Florian Haufe, Robert J. Wood, and Conor J. Walsh collaborated on this project. This work was conducted in the Harvard Biodesign Lab led by Conor J. Walsh in the Wyss Institute and Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Publication Link | Harvard Article Link
Description: In many smart wearable devices, sensors are used to obtain information about the position of the wearer. By creating these sensors from soft, textile-based materials, the comfort, and conformability that wearers expect from clothing can be maintained. Textiles also feature unique mechanical properties, including a reduced Poisson’s ratio, that can improve sensor performance. This glove integrates 10 textile composite capacitive strain sensors at the fingers to track hand motion.