Advanced spacesuit. Researcher adjusts the helmet of a BioSuit. This is a prototype advanced spacesuit designed by Dava Newman, professor of aeronautics and astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA. The suit is designed from advanced textiles making it lightweight and flexible. The fabric incorporates a gas pressure system to exert pressure directly onto the body. Present day spacesuits are much more bulky due to surrounding the wearer with a balloon-like layer of pressurised oxygen. Future versions of the BioSuit will incorporate sensors, a life support system and artificial muscles. Photographed in 2005.