Earl Wood
Encyclopedia
Earl H. Wood was a physiologist who helped invent the G-suit.
Shortly after receiving an M.D.
and PhD
in physiology from the University of Minnesota
medical school, Wood became a key member of a team at the Mayo Clinic
that was tasked with helping military pilots and flight crew survive and function in high G-force
environments. The solution the team arrived at is the G-suit
, which has air bladders situated at the calves, thighs, and abdomen of the wearer. The bladders inflate as the G-force acting on the aircraft increase, constricting the wearer's arteries, hence increasing blood pressure and blood flow to the brain.
The G-suit was a superior solution to another alternative—a water-filled suit—being tested at the time, which was considered impractically heavy and cumbersome.
Wood himself regularly tested the flight suits, taking many turns in a centrifuge
used for the purpose. He calculated that over his several hundred rides, he had lost consciousness for an aggregate of at least fifteen minutes (without any observed lasting damage).
The G-suit was adopted in the 1940s. The current models are based on the pattern Wood and his colleagues designed.
After his work on the G-Suit, Wood worked on techniques for measuring cardiac blood flow. He was granted a patent
for an optical instrument that measures blood oxygen levels without taking blood.
Shortly after receiving an M.D.
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
and PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in physiology from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
medical school, Wood became a key member of a team at the Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit medical practice and medical research group specializing in treating difficult patients . Patients are referred to Mayo Clinic from across the U.S. and the world, and it is known for innovative and effective treatments. Mayo Clinic is known for being at the top of...
that was tasked with helping military pilots and flight crew survive and function in high G-force
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
environments. The solution the team arrived at is the G-suit
G-suit
A G-suit, or the more accurately named anti-G suit, is worn by aviators and astronauts who are subject to high levels of acceleration force . It is designed to prevent a black-out and G-LOC caused by the blood pooling in the lower part of the body when under acceleration, thus depriving the...
, which has air bladders situated at the calves, thighs, and abdomen of the wearer. The bladders inflate as the G-force acting on the aircraft increase, constricting the wearer's arteries, hence increasing blood pressure and blood flow to the brain.
The G-suit was a superior solution to another alternative—a water-filled suit—being tested at the time, which was considered impractically heavy and cumbersome.
Wood himself regularly tested the flight suits, taking many turns in a centrifuge
Centrifuge
A centrifuge is a piece of equipment, generally driven by an electric motor , that puts an object in rotation around a fixed axis, applying a force perpendicular to the axis...
used for the purpose. He calculated that over his several hundred rides, he had lost consciousness for an aggregate of at least fifteen minutes (without any observed lasting damage).
The G-suit was adopted in the 1940s. The current models are based on the pattern Wood and his colleagues designed.
After his work on the G-Suit, Wood worked on techniques for measuring cardiac blood flow. He was granted a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
for an optical instrument that measures blood oxygen levels without taking blood.