The Augmented Limb for Zero-Gravity Movement Control is a project by industrial design student Cheng Chang. Chang is in the Design Products program at the RCA, and this project was undertaken for the Design Futures course.
“In the plausible future, there is going to be a whole generation of humans living their lives in zero-gravity,” Chang writes. “This kind of environmental shift will totally reshape our understanding of space and body function.”
“When our hands and feet are no longer suitable for the task of controlling our movement in zero gravity, we need a new form of body extension.”
“This limb has the ability to automatically anchor to your surroundings, and stabilize your position while floating inside a space station.”
“Just like a snake hunting, uses its whole body to wrap and squeeze.”
From the original concept to the final functional prototype, the limb has been upgraded 12 times to ensure every structure on it can cooperate perfectly under its context.
[Editor’s note: In the descriptions below, I think Cheng may be confusing the role of flesh versus tendons—it’s possible there’s a translation issue.]
“Control String – The control string is like our muscles, driving the limb to move.”
“The Rubber Band Structure – The rubber band is like our flesh, it doesn’t have the ability to move the limb, but functions as a mechanism to prevent the limb from curving too much.”
“The Limb Bone – Inspired by the dinosaur tail, connecting with each other by joint ball, which let the limb have the power to conduct heavy load tasks.”
“This Augmented Limb prototype [seeks to answer] how should we respond to living environment changes driven by fast-developing technologies? When the evolution conducted by nature can’t catch up with the speed of how we implement technology to send us into an environment full of uncertainty, what should we do?”
