Acrobatic activities turn exercise in Space into a form of entertainment closer to the performing arts than to everyday crew training using complex machines - such as the Cyclo Ergometer Vibration Isolation System (CEVIS), the Treadmill with Vibration Isolation System (TVIS) or the Advanced Resistive Exercise Machine (ARED) - designed to work on both the upper and lower limbs.

By exploiting the effects of microgravity, astronauts can stretch and move differently than on Earth, experiencing their bodies in a free and expressive way.

The Acrobats in Space (AIS) system - designed to integrate with the interior of the International Space Station in the least invasive way while taking up the least amount of space - uses the microgravity environment to create a variety of exercises, multiple stimuli and collaborative team dynamics that turn training time into fun entertainment.

The project consists of a unique structure made up of five elements - the circular ring-shaped platform, the elastic bands, the handles, the tool box to store the tools and the “trainer” to facilitate personalised training - which together create an immersive and adaptive system capable of providing different experiences that can be performed alone, or with another astronaut, focusing on different body parts and specific muscle groups, or on skills to increase strength and balance.

Compared to current fitness machines, Acrobat in Space proposes an innovative way of training that encourages the body to perform movements and gestures to take advantage of the lack of gravity, increasing creativity and intuition, as well as the ability to “feel” the body and proactively respond to stimuli.