Some designs made for space can descend to Earth. In 2040, a suit first created to support astronauts in zero-G was adapted for medical conditions on the ground. In addition to pressure and atmosphere, the suit uses electric current impulses to contract individual muscles, or muscle groups, according to a set program to maintain muscle mass, or to do endurance training. A built-in intelligent control system is always testing the wearer and adjusting the mode. Astronauts tested the system, and medical patients saw benefits, but soon average men and women began using this method for “super exercise,” though it is soon determined that this only works in combination with the old-fashioned kind.
Some professional athletes continue to use the “lazy” method to prepare for competitions, however, before the Olympic Games in 2048 IOC rules electrical muscle stimulation equivalent to doping. It is allowed only in the Free-Augmentation Olympics, not in the Amateur Olympics or the Professional or Robotic Olympics.
