Visitors to London's Science Museum were able to see the tent which will house the world's highest medical laboratory when experts from the Xtreme Everest expedition visited Antenna, the museum's contemporary science gallery, recently.
They also had the only opportunity to try pedaling on the high tech Lode Corival exercise bike that will be used in medical experiments being undertaken on the mountain during the Xtreme Everest expedition next spring.
Both bike and tent - the Milsys Deployable Rapid Assembly Shelter (DRASH) - will be positioned at around 7000m/23000ft on Everest's Western Cwm, having been carried up there by seven climbers in 14 different parts. Including the bike's heavy metal base…
The new Corival is a modern ergometer whose fields of application include stress test cardiology, pulmonary function, cardiac rehabilitation, occupational health and physiotherapy and rehabilitation. It is suitable for all body postures.
A new simplified keyboard design allows access to the full menu function with only three buttons. To suit individual requirements it is possible to adjust the different parameters shown in the display and select one of five pre-programmed languages.
Xtreme Everest is a working group of medics who will be climbing Mount Everest to find out the effects of high altitude on the human body. It is hoped that the results will help provide insights into the treatment of intensive care patients.
Led by Dr Mike Grocott from the UCL Institute of Human Health and Performance, the team will be carrying out experiments on themselves as they go up. As they climb, the team will be taking blood samples and monitoring oxygen levels to study how the human body copes with extreme physical stress.
Picture courtesy of Xtreme Everest 2007
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