Microgravity Medical Restraint: An Adaptive Approach

This paper presents an overview of the Crew Medical Restraint System (CMRS) developed for NASA by McDonnell Douglas under the Space Station Freedom Crew Health Care System (CHeCS) contract. A history of space medical restraint development reveals the evolutionary nature of the CMRS design. Requirements are discussed as they influence system functions, interfaces, physical form, and materials selections. Descriptions of scenarios and environments highlight CMRS capabilities, versatility, and adaptability. Descriptions of prototype hardware, development tests, and test results are presented. The paper also discusses long term enhancements which adapt the CMRS to evolving space station medical requirements. The paper is illustrated with photographs of prototype hardware in use during medical simulations.