2018-2019-STEAM-Superheroes - Flipbook - Page 45
EPIC IDENTITY FEATURING PROF. LEIA STIRLING
MIT STEAM superhero:
Prof. Leia Stirling
Astronauts train extensively before they experience the sensation of
low gravity during an actual mission. Despite their training, they must
quickly relearn how to do things that we take for granted on Earth:
rotate themselves, change direction, and use their body in new ways
to move through space. As a professor in the MIT Department of
Aeronautics and Astronautics (AeroAstro), Leia Stirling studies the
ways that astronauts move in space by using sensors that collect
data about their movement. By analysing this movement data, Prof.
Stirling develops better training for astronauts to ease their transition
from Earth to space.
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Not only does Prof. Stirling analyse the way astronauts work now,
she also develops wearable technology to help future astronauts
walk on Mars. The astronauts who walked on the moon bounced
and floated, but they also stumbled. Bulky space suits and helmets
support an astronaut outside of a vehicle, but they also impair
movement and peripheral vision. And stumbling and tripping on a
new surface has potential to damage the suit or injure the astronaut. Prof. Stirling’s group created new
space boots that vibrate before they encounter an obstacle; it’s a little warning that buzzes your big toe.
The boots are 3D printed to keep them lightweight, sensors detect objects, and vibrating motors provide
the buzz.
Wearable technology like the vibrating boots make life easier for astronauts, but they also have the
potential to help more people right here on Earth. People who are visually impaired can use the tactile
sensation from the boots to navigate around unexpected obstacles they can’t see. They could even be
useful for firefighters, whose vision may be impaired by smoke when they are in unfamiliar spaces.
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Drawing the connection between research that can help specialized people like astronauts and the
general population is a theme of Prof. Stirling’s research. In addition to her role in AeroAstro, Stirling is
part of MIT’s Institute For Medical Engineering & Science. She has done work at Boston Children’s
Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
Another theme of her research is thinking deeply about a seemingly simple topic, like walking. Walking
comes naturally to most people, but Prof. Stirling wants to solidly understand what is happening with each
step in a quantitative way. Then she can apply that understanding to several ideas like boots that help
astronauts walk on Mars, wearable sensors that can send doctors information about their patients, and
exoskeletons that can save the wearer energy.
Richard Fineman is a graduate student researcher advised by Prof. Stirling. His research is focused on
two components of walking: balance and coordination. Again, these may seem intuitive to anyone who
walks, but he is using wearable sensors called IMUs to quantify exactly what we mean when we say
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