The Australian National University (ANU) is partnering with Axiom Space and AI and ML solutions provider Aqacia to develop a wearable space health device that will sense, transmit, and assess health data in real-time in remote areas, including suborbital flights.
The device is the latest Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonics (iLAuNCH) Trailblazer project. iLAuNCH is an AUD180 million program building an enduring sovereign space capability through the commercialisation of projects, a fast-track accelerator, and skills development.
The wearable device will enable real-time simulation, diagnosis, and prediction of astronaut physiology and fitness to function in microgravity. Data gained from crew under gravity and microgravity conditions in this project will also inform individualised prediction of fitness to fly.
The ANU leads the collaboration and is developing medical digital twins to rapidly simulate, diagnose and predict an astronaut or space passenger’s physiology in real-time and their fitness to fly and function in space. This further develops a current iLAuNCH project with Aspen Medical, Liquid Instruments and Saber Astronautics.
“ANU will use in-flight data to mature our medical digital twins, utilising embedded machine learning algorithms and mathematical models of the human system,” said project lead ANU Professor Klaus-Martin Schulte. “These algorithms will enable real-time simulation, diagnosis, and prediction of astronaut physiology and fitness to function in microgravity. They will also provide effective feedback information for future intervention cycles.”
Phase 2 of the project will see in-space testing with Axiom Space, which will integrate the project for a future spaceflight.
“We’re delighted to partner with the iLAuNCH program, which addresses important issues for the future of spaceflight,” said Dr Lucie Low, Axiom Space’s Chief Scientist. “The aim of the next phase on-orbit will enable real-time health monitoring and health status analyses of crew with reduced transmission bandwidth requirements, which moves toward Axiom Space’s goals of providing fast and appropriate clinical support for large populations of humans living and working in space.”
Canberra-based start-up Aqacia will combine world-class physics and machine-learning expertise with powerful deep-learning techniques. “We are co-designing machine learning models and techniques to enhance the platform’s monitoring capability. By looking for new signals and features that are not traditionally used, we hope to provide a unique capability,” said Aqacia CEO Dr Aaron Tranter.
Current iLAuNCH partner Saber Astronautics will enable the effective real-time communication of health data between space, satellite orbits, and any location on Earth connected to a communication satellite. This project dimension opens major on-Earth applications for humans living in remote locations, including Australia’s seven million-strong remote population, resource industries (mining), and off-shore activities (defence, commercial maritime services, stationary drilling and exploration sites).
Upon training, the device has the potential to be incorporated into candidate evaluation and training for public, civil, and commercial spaceflight. The product has strong commercialisation potential as a space wearable and for terrestrial applications.
