Hungarian start-up Space-Fit has been developing medical grade EMS devices for fitness and rehabilitation applications for over a decade. A few months ago they threw themselves in a deeper water when deciding to conquer the space industry with their product.
Space-Fit has developed an electrical muscle stimulation space suit able to monitor the users’ physical condition and training intensity. Now they would like to win over the space sector – and for that goal, the ESA BIC Programme is a perfect fit. We asked the founders of Space-Fit how their product can help the full spectrum of astronaut training. “This is a sector that is quite unknown for us and immensely innovative. That’s why we applied to the ESA BIC Hungary incubation programme, so we can exploit the specific expertise of the mentors and professionals and also the possibilities of networking”, says the Space-Fit Project Leader Hanna Poprády.
Space-Fit is a fully female founded start-up, that came up with a solution to improve the rehabilitation of astronauts returning from space missions. Their product can also be used during space flights and training as a complementary method of the current forms of exercise for space explorers. As the founders tell us the main innovation of the technology is the integrated dry electrode and biosensor system. “With this new technology, the stimulation, i.e. the impulse transmission is ensured without the use of water or conductive gel”. The Space Wear is equipped with different biosensors, thus providing the opportunity to monitor the user’s physical condition and training intensity.
E-Fit is currently present in 60 countries with the product for fitness and rehabilitation applications. “Our device got certified by US FDA and ANVISA in Brazil, first among others who developed full body muscle simulators”. The start-up acknowledges that space industry is a specific field, but they have their reasons why they thought it would be a good idea to join the sector. “Commercialisation is a hot topic today, and it’s likely that not only astronauts will have the chance to travel to space in the future. The market will increase significantly. Changing the requirements for space travel and overcoming obstacles that limit the time that can be spent in space are becoming more and more important”.
Their medium-term goal is to deploy Smart Wear on the International Space Station. It could reduce daily training time and diminish the physical deterioration of astronauts. “We want to cover the full spectrum of astronaut training within a few years. For that we need to introduce our product into the training process too”. The first step toward this goal is surely being an active participant of the ESA BIC Programme.
Picture 1: Space-Fit spacesuite.
Credits: Space-Fit
Article Courtesy of ESA COMMERCIALISATION GATEWAY
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