Human Centrifuges in Research and Training

The use of centrifuges for human research has been reported for almost 200 years. Centrifuges have been used for research, medical treatment, and training of flight crew. These centrifuges have been designed and built in a variety of configurations with arms as short as 1.5 m and as long as 15 m. Acceleration on a centrifuge is usually measured in Gs which is the acceleration divided by the standard acceleration of gravity. The forces encountered in a centrifuge are the simple application of Newtons Three Laws of Motion. Axes have been defined for G vectors in relation to the human body. These are designated Z aligned with the spine, Y left to right, and X front to back. Most research and training is in Gz and there are two methods of maintaining alignment with that axis. The USAF is examining the possibility of building a large radius centrifuges 200 m or larger on a track to avoid the inertia of such a long arm. This type of machine could have advantages over the conventional centrifuge.