To combat bone and muscle loss in the zero-gravity environment of the space station, astronauts strap into harnesses that allow them to run on a treadmill and perform other exercises. As an alternative, one NASA researcher developed a method to mimic gravity using differential air pressure. In space, one would want to simulate added weight, but on Earth the same method can be used to lighten the load on a user’s legs. Alter-G Inc. licensed the technology in 2005 and commercialized it through an “anti-gravity” treadmill that is now used by a variety of patients, including professional and collegiate athletes, people learning to walk again after injury or surgery and people suffering from other stresses on the joints such as arthritis or obesity.
Read more: http://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2009/hm_5.html
Image credit: Alter-G Inc.