Kinetic and kinematic sensing system for the MICRO-G/adapt international space station experiment

The primary objective of the Microgravity Investigation of Crew Reactions in 0-G (MICR0-G) research program is to quantitatively study the dynamics and control aspects of human locomotor control adaptation to a spectrum of gravity environments. During the MICR0-G experiment, six-axis force and torque sensors previously flown on the Space Shuttle and Mir will be used to gather kinetic data. In addition, a three-dimensional video system will capture the synchronized kinematics of all major body and joint angles. Together, this data permits the computation of joint torques, providing detailed information about the employed muscle groups and their corresponding controllers. This paper presents the hardware and software components of the MICR0-G sensing system. Sample data collected using the MICR0-G sensing system is presented, illustrating its widespread appli- cability to many human motion studies.