MIT Libraries homeMIT Libraries logoDSpace@MIT

MIT
View Item 
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Libraries
  • MIT Theses
  • Graduate Theses
  • View Item
  • DSpace@MIT Home
  • MIT Libraries
  • MIT Theses
  • Graduate Theses
  • View Item
JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.

The Variable Vector Countermeasure Suit for space habitation and exploration

Author(s)
Vasquez, Rebecca (Rebecca Ann)
Thumbnail
DownloadFull printable version (20.43Mb)
Alternative title
V2Suit for space habitation and exploration
Other Contributors
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering.
Advisor
Dava J. Newman and Kevin R. Duda.
Terms of use
M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Metadata
Show full item record
Abstract
The Variable Vector Countermeasure Suit (V2Suit) is a countermeasure suit for sensorimotor adaptation and musculoskeletal deconditioning in microgravity. The V2suit will consist of modules containing arrays of control moment gyroscopes (CMGs) which will be controlled to provide viscous resistance to motion against a specified direction. To reduce the coordination and sensorimotor problems seen during and following gravity level transitions, this resistance will be felt in the direction of "down" to mimic gravity. In microgravity, visual cues are dominant for orientation perception and one's perceived direction of "down" may change for a variety of reasons. The resistance felt by the V2suit wearer is a gyroscopic torque vector perpendicular to the direction of "down"; in order to send appropriate motor control commands the user's perceived direction of "down" must be known throughout use. Algorithms have been developed to enable the user to initialize a direction of "down" track this direction (as well as the module orientation and other relevant information) throughout operation. Control moment gyroscopes are commonly used for spacecraft stabilization. The V2Suit aims to miniaturize a CMG array for use inside wearable modules mounted on body segments. A trade study was conducted, analyzing various candidate CMG arrays to determine the appropriate architecture for the array inside a V2Suit module. The selected array is a 4 CMG pyramid array, chosen for a combination of torque output performance and size and hardware considerations. A detailed mechanical design for the V2Suit CMG array has been developed for the production of a brassboard prototype unit. Steering laws for singularity avoidance and resetting the gimbal angles have been presented, and will be tested with the brassboard unit. Additionally, a proposed method for measuring torque output from the unit has been presented.
Description
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 2014.
 
"June 2014." Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
 
Includes bibliographical references (pages 129-132).
 
Date issued
2014
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/92118
Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Keywords
Mechanical Engineering.

Collections
  • Graduate Theses

Browse

All of DSpaceCommunities & CollectionsBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjectsThis CollectionBy Issue DateAuthorsTitlesSubjects

My Account

Login

Statistics

OA StatisticsStatistics by CountryStatistics by Department
MIT Libraries homeMIT Libraries logo

Find us on

Twitter Facebook Instagram YouTube RSS

MIT Libraries navigation

SearchHours & locationsBorrow & requestResearch supportAbout us
PrivacyPermissionsAccessibility
MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Content created by the MIT Libraries, CC BY-NC unless otherwise noted. Notify us about copyright concerns.