A problem facing many astronauts after spacewalks is fingernail loss. During long spacewalks, the tips of fingernails often push against the hard tips of spacesuit gloves. The extra pressure on the fingernails can cause them to break off. To prevent this, my tool distributes the pressure more evenly across the finger, thus protecting nail.
Eight protectors are printed simultaneously, one for the thumb, index, middle, and ring fingers of both hands. They consist of an exoskeletal structure that is attached to the finger by a series of pressure-distributing bands, tipped by a cup, which can be filled with soft material to further cushion nails. The tool must be assembled. All parts snap together in a form similar to that in the photograph.
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