Postural Strategies Used While Donning a Simulated xEMU Spacesuit

Abstract

Our goal is to further understand how a simulated extravehicular mobility unit (xEMU) spacesuit affects the relative movement of one’s body segments. The effect of the xEMU spacesuit on gait is not yet fully understood. Here, gait was examined in terms of postural strategies, defined by the absolute angle with standard deviation (AAD) and the anchoring index (AI). The AAD values allowed the measurement of the absolute angles of body segments and their standard deviation, whereas the AI provided a measure of how stable a body segment was relative to a global reference frame and the inferior body segment. The body segments examined were the head, thorax, lumbar, and pelvis segments of 17 participants (26.53 ± 6.51 years old). The configurations tested included unsuited, or using a xEMU Vest or a hard upper body torso (HUT) for four walking conditions: eyes open/closed, with either forward or backward walking. The AAD values of the xEMU Vest were insignificant compared to those of the unsuited condition. The HUT significantly affected the AAD values compared to the unsuited condition. The AI for the HUT also indicates a new unique postural strategy being employed by the HUT group that was not previously observed.