Antonutto G, Linnarsson D, Sundberg C J, di Prampero P E
Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Biomediche, School of Medicine, Udine, Italy.
Acta Astronaut. 1992 Jul;27:71-3. doi: 10.1016/0094-5765(92)90179-m.
Artificial gravity created by the astronauts themselves, without any external power supply, by pedalling on coupled counterrotating bicycles along the inner wall of the space module (Twin Bikes System, TBS), was previously suggested (Antonutto et al., 1991) to prevent musculo-skeletal decay and cardiovascular deconditioning during long term space flights. To investigate whether this unusual rotating environment would determine abnormal stimulations of the vestibular system due to Coriolis cross coupled accelerations, thus leading to acute motion sickness (AMS), the conditions of a rotating environment were reproduced in a human centrifuge. A cycloergometer was fixed to the arm of the centrifuge, the rotation speed of which was equal to that yielding 1 g at the feet level in the TBS (i.e. ranging from 19 to 21 RPM). The ergometer position was such that the combination of the horizontal and gravitational acceleration vectors was 1.414 at the inner ear level and was aligned along the head to feet axis. Three subjects, pedalling at 50 W on a cycloergometer during centrifuge's spinning, were asked to move the head following an AMS' provocation protocol. None of them developed any AMS symptoms. This supports the look of the TBS as tool for avoiding musculo-skeletal and cardiovascular deconditioning during long term space flights.
先前有人提出（安托努托等人，1991年），宇航员通过沿着太空舱内壁蹬踏耦合反向旋转自行车（双自行车系统，TBS）自行产生人工重力，无需任何外部电源，以防止长期太空飞行期间肌肉骨骼衰退和心血管机能失调。为了研究这种不寻常的旋转环境是否会因科里奥利交叉耦合加速度而导致前庭系统受到异常刺激，进而引发急性晕动病（AMS），在人体离心机中重现了旋转环境的条件。一台自行车测力计固定在离心机的臂上，其转速与TBS中脚部水平产生1g重力时的转速相同（即19至21转/分钟）。测力计的位置使得水平加速度矢量和重力加速度矢量在内耳水平的组合为1.414，并且沿头脚轴对齐。三名受试者在离心机旋转期间以50瓦的功率蹬踏自行车测力计，按照急性晕动病激发方案移动头部。他们中没有人出现任何急性晕动病症状。这支持了将双自行车系统视为避免长期太空飞行期间肌肉骨骼和心血管机能失调的工具的观点。
