Archive notice: This article was originally published on August 21, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Wacom’s Intuos3 A4 became the first pen tablet in space. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station used it in experiments examining how they perceive distances and dimensions during time in orbit.
On Earth, people experience gravity through their bodies and immediate surroundings. The brain automatically accounts for gravity in many central-nervous-system processes, including orientation, perception and coordination.
In microgravity, many normal reference points disappear: objects float and the concepts of up and down no longer apply. Astronauts’ brains must process highly unusual signals, raising the question of whether some disturbances observed in astronauts result from altered neural processes caused by the changed gravitational field.
Working with French research laboratories, the French space agency CNES developed SENS, a virtual-reality-based neurosensory stimulation platform for neurological experiments before, during and after ISS missions. The related 3D Space research project studied changes in astronauts’ mental representations of their surroundings. Two Wacom Intuos3 A4 tablets formed part of the project.
“3D Space was developed to test experimentally whether altered visual perception affects motor coordination,” said CNES payload developer Eric Lorigny. “The astronaut is asked to reproduce figures or text with the digital pen. The pen tablet makes it possible to record, analyze and compare the results both in space and on Earth.”
Wacom professional-products manager Guido Möller worked closely with CNES. “This is a milestone in Wacom’s history, and we are proud that the European Space Agency selected Intuos3 for its research.”
Intuos3 is a pen-tablet system for professional users, with applications ranging from design and image editing to medicine. Each tablet provides 5,080 dpi resolution, while the patented cordless, battery-free pen detects more than 1,024 pressure levels. CNES had approved Intuos3 tablets for use aboard the ISS.
