Description: Final Frontier Design's (FFD) High Pressure EVA Glove (HPEG) is a game changing technology enabling future exploration class space missions. The high operating pressure allows astronauts to conduct EVAs without a pre breathe penalty, greatly increasing efficiency. The HPEG increases astronaut comfort and reduces fatigue by allowing for a large Range of Motion with low joint torque throughout. In its current configuration, the glove has shown no signs of hand or fingernail trauma, representing a lower injury risk than current technology. Further, mass reductions from new materials and processes ensure that the HPEG will weigh significantly less than current technology. Sizing capabilities of the HPEG are also a technical improvement over current methods. FFD can establish all tooling, flat patterns, and restraint components from laser hand scans, deriving complex anthropomorphic geometries to exactly match the contours of the hand at the palm and fingertips, while customized flat pattern sizing occurs parametrically according to pre-defined hand anchor/reference points. Phase I of the HPEG will include 2 build rounds, with preliminary testing to take place unmanned during the contract, and a deliverable to include a single pressure garment and outer garment of the glove.

Benefits: NASA requires high performance, high pressure EVA gloves for future exploration class missions beyond low Earth orbit. Glove efficacy directly translates to astronaut efficiency in many instances, and current glove technology has proven to be both limiting and the source of injury for astronauts, in addition to being expensive. The HPEG represents a cost effective and performance enabling, next generation EVA space suit glove solution for NASA.

EVA is not currently a commercial requirement beyond NASA, so the direct application of the HPEG beyond NASA is limited. However, FFD has identified several spin off technologies enabled by this glove development that are directly related to the research proposed here, including: -IVA Space Suit / Pilot Gloves: FFD has recognized the need for high performance pressurized gloves for IVA/LEA applications, and look to incorporate the technologies of the HPEG into their IVA suit -Firefighter's Gloves: the multilayer firefighter's glove is currently a limiting factor in firemen's turnout gear, with crude sizing, limited tactility, and basic patterning. FFD is currently developing next generation firefighter's gloves using patterning technology found in the HPEG -Dry Suit Diving Gloves: pressure tight and thermally insulating dry suit diving gloves represent a new market for glove performance and materials advancement.