This is just one of many issues explored be researchers of the Ashton Graybiel Spatial Orientation Laboratory at Brandeis University in Waltham. DiZio said the lab is mainly interested in human movement control and orientation.
Variable gravity is used to test how our bodies function in different environments.
And that when you go into different gravity levels just be totally fouled up and not be able to readjust very quickly. For example, a simple activity such as reaching for a target becomes challenging when normal gravity is not present. Although the human body can readjust to new gravity levels, DiZio said there can be some negative effects from zero gravity, such as astronauts losing muscle and bone mass after spending an extended duration in space. The exact source of those problems is hard to pinpoint, but he said searching for a reason behind problems in zero gravity helps the lab to understand how we are adjusted to normal gravity. We're basically interested in what the normal human capacities for movement and orientation are.