EVA GLOVES VIRGINIA TECH A secure and comfortable glove designed for the rigorous activities undergone by astronauts.
PROBLEM Current EVA gloves need to simulate the pressure of Earth’s atmosphere in space. The rigid, balloonlike nature of gas-pressurized gloves makes fine motor control a challenge during extravehicular activities (EVAs). Dexterous actions require significant excertion. As a result, discomfort, abrasions, and fatigue have even been recorded after glove use. Tests that utilize the gloves use multiple sets of sensors and therefore are time consuming as well as messy.
GUIDELINES 1. Design a garment that can be worn on the hand as either: a) a thin/low profile comfort glove or b) on sections of the hand such as the fingers, palm, etc.
2. The garment can either be designed to
integrate specific types/sizes of sensors, or a variety of sensor types/sizes.
3. Design must be able to fit inside of an EVA glove.
RESEARCH Q
Are we designing the sensors themselves, or just the outside glove shell, what are the parameters for what we need to design?
A
You don’t have to worry about sensor design itself. We’re looking to find a novel way to house the sensors and their wiring. One thing to think about is accessibility to the sensors if we need to apply them/ remove them/repair them.
Q
A
Is there any other background or information we need to be aware of when we begin our initial design process?
Our primary concern is keeping the hand comfortable without impeding mobility. This will require wire routing options that get from the fingertips/back of the hands/ knuckles down the wrist and up the forearm
SOLUTION Q
Will we have to consider the pressure the glove may put on the sensors, and if this may skew the data?
A
Yes, you should account for the pressure that the glove you’re making would put on any force related sensor. The glove should not be tight to the skin, but flush like the cotton glove links that I sent you before. We want to know that the initial force levels on the skin/nails prior to going into the EVA glove at or as close to 0 as possible.
COMFORTABLE
+ WIRE ORGANIZATION
IDEATION Beginning sketches were made to understand the overall form and function the the glove would take. Placement of the sensors on the hand were taken into consideration, and creating a glove that would accomodate both functional use of the sensors as well as providing good dexterity and comfortabilty to the wearer was the number one goal.
INSPIRATION piano gloves . mimu music gloves . elasty phone case.
PROTOTYPE Three different prototypes were produced, each time creating a more complex glove concept. Originally the concept was based off of an existing common cotton glove. However, the design was altered in order to reduce the number of seams required while providing additional comfort.
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1. templates Templates sized based on the specific anthropometrics of an astronaut
2. layering Sewing together the separate layers of the glove to create wire housing features
3. fingertip protection Prototyping a separate procective feature for the sensors placed on the fingertips
FEATURES Finger Caps
Female Headers
Spandex Wire Tubing
Wired sensors