Space Foundation Inducts Microgravity Treadmill and Neurala Brain Into 2026 Space Technology Hall of Fame

Written by: Space Foundation Editorial Team

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — March 10, 2026 — Space Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 to advance the global space community, today announced that two leading-edge technologies developed for space will be inducted into the 2026 Space Technology Hall of Fame®. The induction ceremony will take place during the annual Space Symposium, April 13-16, 2026, at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

The 2026 inductees are:

• Microgravity Treadmill
• Neurala Brain

Founded in 1988 in partnership with NASA, the Space Technology Hall of Fame recognizes life-changing technologies emerging from global space programs; honors the scientists, engineers and innovators responsible for them; and communicates the importance of these innovations as a return on investment in space exploration.

Commenting on the newest inductees, Space Foundation CEO Heather Pringle said, “The induction of Microgravity Treadmill and Neurala Brain into the Space Technology Hall of Fame reflects the power of space innovation to drive meaningful progress on Earth. These breakthroughs began as solutions for astronauts and autonomous exploration, and today, they are improving lives worldwide. This is exactly what the Hall of Fame represents — bold ideas from the space community delivering lasting global impact.”

2026 Space Technology Hall of Fame Inductees

Microgravity Treadmill

• Individuals: Robert Whalen, Sean Whalen, Tom Allen, Fritz Moore
• Organizations: Boost Treadmills, AlterG, NASA Ames Research Center

Differential air pressure microgravity treadmill technology was developed at NASA Ames Research Center to help astronauts prevent bone loss and muscle atrophy during long space missions. Traditional exercise systems relied on harnesses and elastic cords, which often altered gait, limited exercise intensity and caused discomfort. Dr. Robert Whalen discovered that controlled air pressure around the lower body could simulate gravitational loading. This method applied smooth, evenly distributed vertical forces near the body’s center of mass while preserving natural walking and running mechanics. Early prototypes in the late 1980s and early 1990s confirmed the concept’s effectiveness, though spaceflight testing was limited by program constraints.

The technology later proved valuable on Earth. By reversing the system, users could partially unweight the lower body, reducing joint stress while maintaining natural movement patterns. Sean Whalen played a central role in the early engineering development and commercialization of the technology through AlterG. He later founded Boost Treadmills with Tom Allen to continue advancing microgravity-based rehabilitation technology and expand the next generation of these systems. Building on his father’s foundational research, Sean led engineering and product development that brought the system into clinical and performance environments. Dr. Robert Whalen remains closely involved with Boost, contributing engineering expertise and helping solve technical challenges as the technology continues to evolve.

Fritz Moore, a NASA Ames–affiliated research physiologist and co-founder of AlterG, contributed expertise in exercise physiology and research design. He led studies demonstrating the safety and efficacy of differential air pressure treadmills, helping support regulatory pathways and clinical adoption as the technology entered rehabilitation settings.

The father-son Whalen duo continues to mature the Microgravity Treadmill technology, focusing on improving accessibility, usability, and scalability so weight-supported locomotion can be used more broadly across rehabilitation, performance, and long-term mobility applications.

Today, differential air pressure treadmills support orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation, post-surgical recovery, athletic training, gait analysis, and long-term mobility, enabling clinicians and trainers to use safe, repeatable weight-supported locomotion to support recovery and mobility preservation.

Neurala Brain

• Individuals: Dr. Massimiliano Versace, Dr. Anatoli Gorchet, Dr. Heather Ames, Dr. Mark Motter
• Organizations: Neurala, Inc., NASA Langley Research Center

In collaboration with NASA and Boston University’s Neuromorphics Lab, Neurala developed a brain-inspired artificial intelligence technology enabling autonomous, continuous learning on edge devices.  The resulting system, the Neurala Brain, allows machines to learn online without cloud connectivity or large datasets. The Neurala Brain has been commercialized across multiple products and is the cornerstone of the VIA software for visual industrial quality control. The work was led by cofounders Dr. Massimiliano Versace, Dr. Anatoli Gorchet, and Dr. Heather Ames, leaders in artificial intelligence and brain-inspired computing.

NASA’s Langley Research Center recognized the technology’s relevance to autonomous exploration systems. Dr. Mark Motter, an engineer at Langley, identified its potential and served as technical representative for Neurala’s Small Business Technology Transfer awards. Phase I demonstrated unsupervised terrain learning in simulation. Phase II transferred trained models to physical robotic platforms, validating real-world performance. NASA support, including enhancement funding, helped move the technology from academic research to commercial readiness.

Neurala retained intellectual property ownership while transitioning the system into commercial

products. The technology expanded into robotics, smartphones and industrial inspection. Today, Neurala’s AI operates entirely on-device and has been deployed in approximately 80 million systems worldwide.

To view all Space Technology Hall of Fame inducted technologies, please visit www.spacefoundation.org/inducted-technologies/.

About Space Technology Hall of Fame

Space Technology Hall of Fame, launched in 1988 by Space Foundation in partnership with NASA, honors individuals, organizations and companies that adapt technologies originally developed for space to improve the quality of life on Earth, as well as inspire future space innovators. Honorees are nominated by the space community and global space agency technology transfer offices, reviewed and selected by a space and technology expert panel, and inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame at Space Symposium. Visit Space Technology Hall of Fame to nominate a technology at www.spacetechhalloffame.org.

About Space Foundation

Space Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1983 as a gateway to advance the global space community. Space Foundation uniquely educates, collaborates and informs the entire space workforce, from early education through post-secondary (college, non-college, vocational), to the start of their careers as new professionals, and ultimately as leaders at the highest levels of government and commercial industry. As a charitable organization, Space Foundation receives support from corporate members, sponsors, individual giving, and grants. Visit Space Foundation at www.SpaceFoundation.org, and follow us on Facebook, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

Media Contacts:

Rich Cooper
Vice President, Strategic Communications & Outreach
Space Foundation
(202) 596-0714
[email protected]

Dottie O’Rourke
TECHMarket Communications
(650) 344-1260
[email protected]

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