NASA SBIR 2014 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
TDA Research, Inc.
12345 West 52nd Avenue
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 - 1916
(303) 422-7819

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Douwe Bruinsma
dbruinsma@tda.com
12345 West 52nd Avenue
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 - 1916
(303) 940-5395

CORPORATE/BUSINESS OFFICIAL (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
John D. Wright
krhodus@tda.com
12345 West 52nd Avenue
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 - 1916
(303) 940-2300

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 2
End: 4

Technology Available (TAV) Subtopics
International Space Station (ISS) Demonstration and Development of Improved Exploration Technologies is a Technology Available (TAV) subtopic that includes NASA Intellectual Property (IP). Do you plan to use the NASA IP under the award?
No

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
TDA Research proposes to develop a computer-controlled lightweight and compact device for aerobic and resistive training (DART) to counteract muscular atrophy and bone loss and to improve the overall wellness of astronauts operating in microgravity. The DART will be able to provide resistive loads up to 350 lbf and will accurately simulate the load profile of a mass in a 1-g environment. It will also be capable of applying custom load profiles such as eccentric overloading. In aerobic training mode, the DART will simulate the loads of a rowing machine with loads up to 175. The system will computer-controlled and can automatically calibrate to a user's range of motion. The total weight of the device will be less than 20 lbs and have a compact form factor to enable integration into a small crew module. By using a regenerative energy recovery system, the average power consumption of the DART will be less than 100 W during an exercise session.

TDA is able to build on previous experience building exercise equipment for NASA and develop the DART in a short timeframe. TDA will prove the feasibility of providing effective aerobic and resistive training with a single device that is lightweight and compact in Phase I. At the end of Phase I a prototype will be delivered to NASA for evaluation. In Phase II we will advance the technology and provide the second generation prototype to NASA for testing on the International Space Station.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
The crew's health is one of the key priorities for NASA and to achieve this, regular resistive and aerobic training is required, even on short missions. During Phase I we will work together with NASA to develop the required interfaces to incorporate the DART into the small crew capsules. Incorporation of the DART will help to maintain the crew's health and wellness while placing a minimum burden on the operational logistics. The weight and size will be minimal and the crew will spend minimum time configuring the exercise equipment. We will develop mechanical and electrical interfaces to incorporate the DART into existing and future spacecraft. By utilizing this approach, NASA will achieve tangible benefits from the proposed research in a short timeframe.

TDA will provide a first prototype of the DART to NASA at the end of Phase I and a second prototype for testing on the International Space Station at the end of Phase II. TDA has the skillset, expertise and resources to develop this technology in a short timeframe so that it can be integrated into current and future spacecraft.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
There is major commercialization potential for the Device for Aerobic and Resistive Training in the academic research, physical therapy, athletic departments, and fitness markets. The DART can be incorporated in the home-gyms to replace the heavy weight-stacks and to add an electronic interface that can be used to monitor progress or to share results with a remote coach or other users online.

The demand for a DART is also large in the academic research market. There is currently much research being performed to study the physiological benefits of different load profiles during strength training, with a large fraction of this work being focused on the effects of eccentric overload. The DART is perfectly suited for this application because the amount of eccentric overload can be precisely controlled and set by entering the desired value on the user-interface. The DART also allows the study of custom load profiles throughout an exercise motion. For this application the DART has unique capabilities in that it can calibrate to a user's range of motion (ROM) in seconds and then apply a custom load profile based on the ROM while logging position and force data.

Lastly, the advanced features of the DART also make it perfectly suitable for physical therapy. With the DART, the strength training can be designed to precisely meet the needs of the patient by providing resistive loads only where desired during the range of motion.