An iLAuNCH Trailblazer project will capitalise on Australia’s expertise in delivering medical care to remote regions, seeking to transfer those skills to improving medical care in space with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI) and various partners, including Aspen Medical Care and the Australian National University (ANU).
The project, led by the ANU, will leverage Australia’s expertise, transferring the capability to predict and monitor physiological changes to human spaceflight.
“I applaud Aspen Medical for making the leap into the demanding environment of space, and showcasing how space technology can help us here on Earth,” said iLAuNCH Trailblazer Executive Director Darin Lovett. “It’s a great project led by the Australian National University, partnering with industry leaders including Saber Astronautics, Aspen Medical, and Liquid Instruments.”
Aspen will bring their global health experience to the collaboration while ANU is developing medical digital twins to rapidly simulate, diagnose, and predict an astronaut or space passenger’s physiology in real-time and determine their fitness to fly and function in space.
ANU is also partnering with Liquid Instruments, an Australian manufacturer of field programmable gate array (FPGA) test equipment, to develop and space qualify an integrated sensing-analysis-communication tool, alongside Saber Astronautics who will ensure its seamless communication.
Saber Astronautics will provide rideshare services for the tool on microgravity test flights. Saber will also ensure safe integration of data streams into mission control, via the Responsive Space Operations Centre.
“Saber’s capabilities in space operations and microgravity testing will accelerate ANU and Liquid Instruments products and services into operational use for human health in space,” said Saber Astronautics CEO Dr Jason Held.
iLAuNCH says the project will not only be useful for spaceborne activities, but will also bring direct and palpable benefits to Australians on the ground. There is a significant opportunity to enhance health equity and conditions of remote patients and workers by providing them with real-time assessment and predictive health monitoring, with the potential for notification in case of a catastrophic health event.
The Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonics (iLAuNCH) Trailblazer is a AUD180 million program building Australia’s enduring space capability through the commercialisation of projects, a fast-track accelerator, and skills development.
It says the combination of AI and advanced computing architectures, along with an understanding of measurements and their relation to human health, is fundamentally useful to all human beings and may be integrated into wearable products of the future.
