Space4U

Katharine Forth – Zibrio

In this episode:

 

We meet Dr. Katharine Forth, CEO of Zibrio, the creator of the SmartScale for balance. She earned a doctorate in motor control and has conducted a postdoctoral fellowship at NASA. Katey is also a world-champion athlete, and as an expert in postural stability, she has created award-winning balance training programs for older adults.

 

In this conversation, Katey details the difference between posture and postural control, emphasizing that balance is one of the key indicators of health — and therefore important to everyone, no matter their age group. She also explains how technology used for NASA astronauts was adapted to create this new way to measure balance in earthbound individuals.

 

Prior to the introduction of the Zibrio SmartScale, without an objective way of measuring balance, individuals had to wait until they experienced a fall before addressing the issue. In pointing out how important balance is to wellbeing, Katey shares some startling statistics, warning that, “Falling down is a very big issue. It’s the leading cause of trauma injury and trauma death. And that’s across any ages.”

 

It was Katey’s insights from working with astronauts in microgravity that led her to create a balance scale that measures postural stability. She says, “Rather than just keeping the technology that we’d invented just for astronauts, we wanted to save the world from falling down. So that became the mission and the true genesis of Zibrio.”

 

To learn more about Zibrio SmartScales, visit Zibrio.com.

 

Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom © copyright 2015, licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged

Steve Howard – Spaceport Camden

In this episode:

 

We meet Steve Howard, County Administrator of Camden County, Georgia, and project lead for Spaceport Camden, currently in development. As project lead, Steve is working to realize Spaceport Camden’s mission of developing a world-class spaceport through a public-private partnership that will establish Camden County as the commercial space center of the United States. Howard also sits on the board of directors for the Commercial Spaceflight Federation.

 

In our conversation, Steve explains why Camden County is a prime location for a commercial spaceport, the area’s space heritage dating back to the 1960s, how the commercial sector is driving the need for a spaceport like this, and the beneficial assets this particular geographic location has to offer. He also discusses some of the hurdles involved in establishing a spaceport, how the region has embraced the project, how it will change the state, and what he foresees for future of the spaceport in five to ten years’ time.

 

In detailing what sets Spaceport Camden apart from government-run launch facilities, and the importance of having spaceports available solely to commercial space companies, Steve says, “What Georgia can offer is a clean slate — where the appropriate requirements of NASA and the military will never impact the commercial schedule.”

 

To learn more about Spaceport Camden, visit https://spaceportcamden.us.  

 

Introductory and closing music: Paint the Sky by Hans Atom © copyright 2015 Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/hansatom/50718 Ft: Miss Judged