Collaborate Disseminate
An uncomfortable reality with the spacesuits used for extravehicular activities (EVA) – commonly referred to as spacewalks – is that the astronaut spends hours in them, during which normal bodily …read more Continue reading Using Forward- And Reverse-Osmosis to let Astronaut EVA Suits Produce Fresh Water From Urine
If you’re dealing with a chronic illness, the ability to continuously monitor your symptoms is indispensable, helping you gain valuable insights into what makes your body tick – or, rather, …read more Continue reading Urine Flow Measurement Made Accessible With uroFlow
[Josh Starnes] had a dream. A dream of a device that could easily and naturally be activated to generate power in an emergency, or just for the heck of it. That device takes in urea, which is present in urine, and uses it to generate a useful electrical charge. [Josh] has, of course, named this device the P Cell.
An early proof of concept uses urine to create a basic galvanic cell with zinc and copper electrodes, but [Josh] has other ideas for creating a useful amount of electricity with such a readily-available substance. For example, the urea could be …read more
Continue reading The “P Cell” is Exactly What You Might Suspect
Some things about the human body are trivial to measure. Height, weight, blood pressure, pulse, temperature — these are all easily quantifiable with the simplest of instruments and can provide valuable insights into our state of health. Electrical activity in the heart and the brain can be captured with more complex instruments, too, and all manner of scopes can be inserted into various orifices to obtain actionable information about what’s going on.
But what about, err, going? Urine flow can be an important leading indicator for a host of diseases and conditions, but it generally relies on subjective reports from …read more
Continue reading Assess Your Output with a Cheap DIY Urine Flowmeter
“We are planning to try to get our yeast to the International Space Station in next couple of years.” Continue reading Yeast Can Be Engineered to Turn Astronaut Pee Into Spaceflight Materials
There are 75 litres of pee in a standard swimming pool, but don’t freak out. Continue reading Is Peeing In the Pool Really That Bad?
NASA is looking for a few good men and women to solve an upcoming problem. Astronauts will soon be venturing outward beyond Earth orbit. If the spacecraft cabin should depressurize then they’ll have to put on their spacesuits and may have to keep them on for up to six days. During that time something will have to handle the resulting urine, fecal, and menstrual waste, all without the astronauts use of their hands. And that’s where you come in.
NASA is having a space poop challenge. The current system of an adult diaper won’t last six days. Your job, should …read more
One of the most common infections could be treated with alternative methods. Continue reading New Research Suggests We Could Treat UTIs Without Antibiotics
