For the fifth time in seven years, Texas Woman’s University (TWU) in Denton has taken the top prize at a NASA-sponsored competition, demonstrating the university’s prowess in space-related research projects. A team of undergraduate kinesiology students, known as ‘Team Pleiades,’ emerged victorious in the Texas Space Grant Consortium Design Challenge, a statewide competition held outside Houston.
Unlike most teams composed of engineering students, TWU’s team was the only one solely from a kinesiology department and was entirely female. The team included seniors Makiyah Brittmon, Josey Salazar, Erin Rocha (team lead), Hannah Schnettler, and Karolyn Skoby. Their success was built on thousands of hours of work, focusing on health-related innovations vital to astronauts’ well-being in space.
This year’s project tackled the ongoing issue of muscle atrophy experienced by astronauts during long-duration space flights. Typically, astronauts experience a 20% reduction in the size of weight-bearing skeletal muscles like the quadriceps within the first 11 days of space flight. TWU’s solution was a compact blood flow restriction device for use in microgravity environments, which complements resistance training by enhancing muscle stimulation without the need for heavy weights.
Their novel device, nicknamed HALO (Hypertrophic Aide by Limb Occlusion), functions similarly to a large blood pressure cuff and is worn on the upper thigh. It incorporates an airbag, a Direct Current motor, a rechargeable battery, and a motor board with a microcontroller, which regulate blood flow during exercise, thus promoting muscle growth with reduced joint impact.
In addition to winning the overall competition, Team Pleiades secured first place in peer review and presentation categories and second place for poster/best model. Each team member received scholarships from the Texas Space Grant Consortium for their achievements.
This ongoing success underscores TWU’s commitment to innovative, health-focused solutions in space travel, with the kinesiology department frequently participating in the NASA competition and securing top positions. Their specialized focus on mitigating muscle deterioration offers practical applications for NASA’s ongoing research.
The Texas Space Grant Consortium Design Challenge invites students to devise solutions for NASA’s research objectives, granting them the flexibility to select their space-related challenges. The continual success of TWU’s teams not only amplifies the department’s educational impact but highlights Dedon’s contribution to the advancement of space science and health research.