Future space missions could be revolutionised by an amazing exercise machine invented by a Teddington-based sports therapist and engineered by an Oscar winning special effects company.

The device, which is being considered for the International Space Station, enables astronauts to exercise efficiently to ward off damaging bone density and muscle loss that occurs in space.

It was devised by John Kennett in a Pilates studio above a Royal British Legion club in Teddington High Street as a method of helping astronauts beat the crippling impacts of living in microgravity.

The British company that worked on the blockbuster WW1 film 1917 realised his designs which are now being assessed by the European Space Agency.

"Current Space Station crew have to work out two hours a day, six days a week during their stay in space but can still lose ten per cent of their bone density during a six-month shift," said Mr Kennett, who is based in Teddington, Middlesex.

"It is a gruelling demand that takes up valuable research time. Using my machine means they can cut that time to ten minutes a day which will have a game-changing impact on their work, fitness and recovery."

The physiological changes caused by living without gravity, which also include a slowing of the cardiovascular system, are so severe that some astronauts need three to four years to recover.

His High Frequency Impulse for Microgravity (HIFIm) prototype has been designed to allow astronauts to perform a range of exercises including controlled squat jumps that are regarded as the most efficient way of promoting bone and muscle strength.

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"Research has shown that jumping vastly improves muscle and bone density but the machines currently on the space station cannot be used for that," added Mr Kennet, who worked as an aeronautical engineer with British Airways before retraining as a sports therapist and injury rehab specialist.

"The HIFIm is a multi-gym piece of equipment so would take up less space and weight than existing machines and would give astronauts a more complete work-out in a much shorter time."

He got the idea after treating a client recovering from breast cancer who had low bone density.

"I re-utilised existing equipment and developed a system of jumping and after a year of weekly sessions her bone density had recovered by 8%," he added. "This was literally me working from the proverbial shed and, although it was not a clinical trial, the results couldn't be ignored so I designed the equipment and the exercise regime for use on earth and to overcome the technical issues of jumping in space."

He is now developing the equipment in collaboration with St Mary's University, Twickenham, and has the backing of the UK Space Agency and the European Space Agency, which is planning a zero gravity flight next year to test the system.

The International Space Station has been continually crewed since 2010 with six members of staff conducting experiments as the 73-metre construction travels at five miles per second, orbiting Earth about every 90 minutes.

NASA and other space agencies have ambitious plans for moon landings in 2024, further exploration of Mars while companies are pursuing plans for commercial space travel.

The machine also has a terrestrial application as it could be used to treat osteoporosis patients who suffer deteriorating bone density that leads to falls and fractures. Around three million in the UK suffer from the condition and the NHS spends around £4.5 billion annually treating the 500,000 needing hospital treatment for fragility fractures.

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