Bone weakening is a concern for astronauts who now exercise inflight to prevent loss of bone in the legs and fracture on landing. Thisproject will design an instrument for direct, non-invasive measurementof bone strength. The innovation is the methodology acquired by thiscompany from a University and the design of an instrument that willprovide accurate, reproducible measurements of bone stiffness, acomponent of strength. The long bones of the lower extremities of humansand larger species of animals qualifying for flight projects are thetargets of analysis by this instrument. It delivers a low frequencyvibration and detects the response. Current methods forevaluating the strength of bone in vivo depend primarily on measures ofthe mineral content of bone by instruments that contain a radio-activesource. A device to monitor the effects of exercise on bone strengththat avoids exposure to radiation is needed for space flight and wouldalso have application in monitoring patients with fragile bones orindividuals engaged in sports or fitness programs. The objective ofPhase I is to design the mechanical components and data acquisitionsystem into a single simple system for operation and use in clinical andanimal studies. The objective of Phase II is to validate the instrumentby animal and human tests and correlate withother tests.The device would be used in research centers and in health and fitnessfacilities as a routine means of monitoring the bone strengtheningeffects of exercise, diet and other factors.bone, strength, exerciser, mineral, biomechanicsSTATUS: Project Proceded to Phase II
