The Smart Medical Systems and Technology Team is developing real-time health monitoring and treatment technologies that are noninvasive, portable and easy to use. These devices will enable astronauts to diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries, or if needed, enlist the help of remote experts.
The team is addressing:
Training methods for the non-expert to acquire complex ultrasound scans and developing an interactive ultrasound image catalog to enable non-physicians to accurately examine patients, interpret results and share these data with distant medical specialists
Dual-purpose ultrasound devices that combine imaging and therapeutic capabilities and that can diagnose and dissolve kidney stones, perform noninvasive surgery, heal bone fractures, or destroy unwanted tissues such as cancerous lesions
A miniaturized noninvasive sensor that is placed directly on the skin and uses near-infrared light to assess muscle pH, oxygen levels and metabolic rate
