Testing my latest prototype spacesuit, the STOAT-type IVA suit.

It has been exactly 13 months since my last suit test. This suit was in about 8 months of development hell. By the time it was finished production, it was already obsolete. I am very glad to have it off my plate. Taking into account life, the cadence for new suits should improve.

3 Step Away from Amogus Bean Shape Suit

That comes next

Lmao

Yoooo awesome! Do you ever get claustrophobic when you're in it? I imagine it's like being "in" something rather than "wearing" something, but maybe that's not how you think of it?

@FigTheCosmic Donning it can be a bit claustrophobic. This suit uses a rear-entry appendix, like a Sokol but in the back instead of in the front, which was very difficult to get myself into. But if you can control your breathing and trust your assistants, you'll be fine.

@FigTheCosmic Once your in the suit, it's very snug and cuddly. You can feel it supporting you. When pressurized, you can feel it standing around you. I find it a very nice sensation, not stressful.

That's really neat!

That's really impressive. As I understand it most suits basically feel like having elastic exercise equipment all over your body. I wonder if materials science has substantially reduced how much fatigue is induced? Also it REALLY looks like you need to adjust your helmet mounting or helmet design, since it kept riding up on your chin

The torque of the suit was managed by joint design, which balanced loading, prevented elongation, and kept volume constant so as to reduce work. As for the helmet rise, the tiedowns were pretty much maxed out, so I have to assume the torso was too tall (I hadn’t resized it).

That seems reasonable spacesuits are a tailored item. How about the gloves? That seems to be the holy grail with suit design.

The gloves were patterned to my hands. I’m always trying to find simpler ways of making gloves, but as I’m sure you know, this is an immense challenge.

Is there a tension system to balance pressurization forces, or are the gloves somehow separated from the rest of the pressure envelope?

The gloves are continuous with the rest of the enclosure; they experience the same internal forces as the rest of the suit. Their mobility design is simple, mostly for easy fabrication. Each finger/thumb has a nonstretching compressive side, mirrored by an elastic expansive side.

Damn! This is amazing, is it truly functional? If so, are there any laws against creating or owning a functional space suit? How much has making one costed you?

Thank you. This is a fully functional pressure suit. As far as I know there are now laws against making these. The cost of this particular suit is difficult to pin down as it is an R&D product, but I’d estimate probably around 2500 CAD. Programmatic costs would be closer to 6000.

It looks really cool to wear that spacesuit

Epic

Next test: wear it inside of a man-sized vacuum chamber.

That’s the goal!

fashion!

What is the hose fitting that attaches to the fabric? Custom made or off the shelf?

Off the shelf pneumatic quick disconnects.

Looking great! seems pretty maneuverable (was that a hurdy gurdy??). Is that ring around the neck for a detachable helmet or is it just a restraint?

Thanks! Yes, I tried playing my gurdy (I had enough hand mobility to play but the noise from the airflow and comms echo made me play like crap). The neck ring is a disconnect. The original pattern of the suit had no neck disconnect, but this was added in the most recent revision.

Here you can see the new helmet and the old helmet. The latter was integral to the rest of the pressure garment, and could be opened by means of a pressure zipper.

Why the change? Just a comfort thing or was the zipper too awkward?

The first revision failed. Long story short, it was using a rubber bladder, which had totally unreliable seam seals, so it was intolerably leaky when pressurized. Instead of working to bring it to a usable state, I scrapped it, along with the zipper-helmet that was a part of it.

The disconnect and new bladder (which was a plastic bladder, not unlike my first suit) were time-sensitive concessions that while are not ideal nonetheless delivered a sufficiently usable suit in time.

Duuude! Nice!

Amazing

A little more fabric gribble and you'll be ready to be annihilated by an eldritc monster

ooough pressure suit feel like fat fur sitting on me