ASI Program - Virtual Reality in Neutral Buoyancy
- Paper number
IAC-08.B3.3.8
- Author
Dr. Alessandro Bellomo, ALTEC S.p.A., Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Gabriele Mascetti, Italian Space Agency (ASI), Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Mario Benassai, ALTEC S.p.A., Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Vittorio Cotronei, Italian Space Agency (ASI), Italy
- Coauthor
Dr. Silvia Natalucci, Italian Space Agency (ASI), Italy
- Year
2008
- Abstract
One of the facilities available at ALTEC S.p.A. is a Neutral Buoyancy Test Facility (NBTF), facility in which reduced gravity conditions can be simulated. This facility has been extensively utilized for Columbus module design development and verification tests, for Columbus module flight operations development and verification tests as well as for the Eurobot Wet Model robot tests. The above tests, and mainly the first two, required to manufacture and to install, inside the NBTF, a one-to-one scale module or a part of it. The Virtual Reality techniques allow to fully submerge a subject in a “virtual” environment that can be constructed, according to the specific tests needs, by the development of a CAD 3-D model representing the environment and providing to the test subject the proper visualization equipment such to decouple as much as possible the test subject from the surrounding environment. A feasibility study has been developed by ALTEC S.p.A., under an ASI contract, with the aim to investigate the possibility to combine the two above described technologies such to realize a “Virtual Reality in Neutral Buoyancy Facility - VRNB” that allows to exploit the advantages of the two techniques that, until now, has been independently utilized in different application fields. Application fields of the facility mainly pertain to industrial and scientific application scenarios. Industrial identified applications are: training (at zero-g as well as at various g-levels), familiarization to new environments, typical space activities simulation (IVA and EVA), maintenance activities simulation, ergonomics and human factors, simulation for deep water operations. Scientific applications presently identified pertain to various fields; to cite only few: vestibular studies (e.g. head’s position versus sensory information with respect to oculomotor control), objects manipulation in micro-gravity, locomotion, studies on perceived orientation, etc. Purposes of this paper is to present the VRNB program status highlighting the major achievements together with the future milestones and to provide potential application scenarios. Due to its specific configuration, VRNB is an “alive” facility able to implement different configuration needs such to pander to industrial and scientific applications. The paper was not presented at previous meetings and financing and attendance of the author at the respective IAC at Glasgow to present the paper is assured
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-08.B3.3.8.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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