Kansas State University researchers are working on a spacesuit that could monitor astronauts' health and use body heat to power electronics.
A team of students and professors are working with a model space suit.
It's made of several layers of material, including metalized fabrics, to model the layers in suits that protect astronauts and keep them warm.
University researchers say batteries are too dangerous to place in a spacesuit's oxygen-rich environment, so the team is developing new energy harvesting methods to gather energy.
These methods use the temperature difference between body heat and the spacesuit's cooling garment to power radios and other electronics.
Funding for the project comes from a three-year, $750,000 NASA grant.
