- Title: Could this zero-gravity gym help astronauts stay fit in space?
- Date: 10th March 2026
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK (MARCH 4, 2026) (Reuters) JOHN KENNETT, CEO OF PHYSICAL MIND LONDON AND INVENTOR OF HIFIM, WATCHING AS PERSON GETS ON HIFIM MACHINE VARIOUS OF PERSON USING HIFIM MACHINE (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN KENNETT, CEO OF PHYSICAL MIND LONDON, SAYING: "This is a really unique piece of equipment. It enables over 300 exercises to take place in space. We've tested
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: ISS International Space Station Lunar Gateway Physical Mind London astronauts exercise in space muscle strength
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK / IN SPACE / IN AIR, OVER BORDEAUX, FRANCE/ NEAR ZHEZKAZGAN, KAZAKHSTAN
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UK / IN SPACE / IN AIR, OVER BORDEAUX, FRANCE/ NEAR ZHEZKAZGAN, KAZAKHSTAN
- Country: UK
- Topics: Europe,Science,Space Exploration
- Reuters ID: LVA002224809032026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:British startup Physical Mind London is developing an exercise device designed to help astronauts stay fit on long-duration space missions, as space agencies seek smaller and more efficient alternatives to the bulky gym equipment used on the International Space Station.
The machine, called HIFIm - short for High Frequency Impulse for Microgravity - allows users to perform jumping, hopping and resistance-style exercises.
Physical Mind's founder and the inventor of HIFIm, John Kennett, said the system is mechanically balanced to cut the forces and vibrations transmitted to a spacecraft and does not require electrical power to operate.
"It enables over 300 exercises to take place in space," Kennett told Reuters. "It enables individuals... to jump repeatedly in zero gravity, and that is phenomenal for building bone and muscle mass."
With support from the European Space Agency (ESA) and the UK Space Agency, the company has carried out multiple tests in microgravity aboard parabolic flights - nicknamed "vomit comets" - where an aircraft flies a series of arcs that create short periods of weightlessness for astronaut training and microgravity experiments.
"We've tested it vigorously in microgravity on parabolic test flights, otherwise known as the vomit comet," Kennett said. "We had to answer two questions: Can you jump repeatedly in zero gravity? And also, can we mitigate the force transmission going through to the aircraft? And the answer to that was yes on both accounts."
The device was tested as a microgravity exercise countermeasure and demonstrated jumping in zero gravity while reducing loads on the supporting structure.
"This nullifies its own forces through a very unique but simple design," added Kennett.
The test team included a single-leg amputee, part of efforts to assess its potential use for both astronauts and parastronauts. Kennett added that HIFIm is intended both for astronaut health in orbit and for rehabilitation on Earth.
NASA says astronauts currently average about two hours of exercise a day using equipment including a treadmill, cycle ergometer and resistance machine. Exercise is a central part of astronaut health because microgravity weakens muscles, bones and the cardiovascular system.
Physical Mind says it is also working with researchers at St Mary's University Twickenham, the University of Salford and Northumbria University on further validation, and hopes the technology could eventually be used as part of the Lunar Gateway programme.
Gateway, NASA's planned lunar-orbiting space station, is expected to begin taking shape later this decade as part of the Artemis moon programme.
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