High above our planet, a small tourniquet placed on an astronaut’s leg while they exercise fools the body into thinking it’s been through a heavy workout. Back on Earth, researchers are developing products that will cool cities during heatwaves. 🧊
Dr Luke Hughes, Professor Nick Caplan and Dr Kirsty Lindsay, from our Aerospace Medicine and Rehabilitation Laboratory, have developed a space-ready tourniquet cuff that helps combat bone density loss for astronauts in weightless environments. At the heart of the team’s work is our globally unique Variable Gravity Suspension System (VGSS), which simulates the experience of walking on the Moon.
🗣️ "These are just a few examples of meaningful research making a measurable difference to everyday lives." - Professor Louise Bracken, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange.
It reflects real momentum: Northumbria has twice recorded the biggest rise in research power ranking of any UK institution, climbing from 80th to 50th to 23rd in just over a decade. 📈
🗣️ "Cooling is one of the fastest-growing energy challenges of our time, yet it remains one of the biggest opportunities for climate impact." - Professor Muhammad Wakil Shahzad, whose spinout EcoTechX Ltd is commercialising ultra-efficient cooling technology.
Research at Northumbria is tackling the questions that matter and turning ambitious ideas into real-world results.
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