ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet on the International Space Station testing a new smartshirt that can wirelessly transmit heart-rate data to the EveryWear app from France’s space agency CNES. The data is used to analyse his performance by his trainers on Earth and by Thomas himself.
Wearable sensors woven into the fabric of the t-shirt improve data collection and save time for the astronauts, or for people on Earth.
Astronauts need to keep in good shape to counteract the effects of living in weightlessness.
In this video Thomas powers on the smartshirt and pairs the wearable tech to his tablet. He then puts on his biking shoes and sets up the Space Station’s exercise bike called CEVIS (Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System). The bicycle is designed to minimise vibrations transmitted to the Space Station that could interfere with other experiments.
Before starting Thomas sets the workout intensity and turns on the fan to keep cool.
During his Proxima mission, Thomas will perform around 50 scientific experiments for ESA and France’s space agency CNES as well as take part in many research activities for the other Station partners.
The mission is part of ESA’s vision to use Earth-orbiting spacecraft as a place to live and work for the benefit of European society while using the experience to prepare for future voyages of exploration further into the Solar System.
More about the Proxima mission: http://www.esa.int/proxima
Connect with Thomas Pesquet: http://thomaspesquet.esa.int
Music: Technology / Philip Guyler