Biomedical Engineering applications are considered to be essentially important for human spaceflight systems since the spaceflights are identified as a type of life-critical system. The history, evolution, and current state-of-art biomedical applications were critically presented through this lecture of mine to the young astronomers in Sri Lanka. This lecture was presented as a part of the volunteering webinar series for the Amateur Astronomers' Society at the Institute of Astronomy, Sri Lanka.

1. Cutting-edge Biomedical Technologies
for Human Spaceflights
Nuwan Bandara
Tutor and Research Assistant at IOAS
B.Sc. of Biomedical Engineering (Honors) at
University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka (Reading)
Webinar Series for Amateur Astronomers’ Society
By Institute of Astronomy, Sri Lanka

2. What is
Biomedical Engineering?
Biomedical Engineering is the application of
interdisciplinary engineering principles and design
concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare
purposes
This field seeks to close the gap
between engineering and medicine,
combining the design and problem-solving skills of
engineering with medical biological sciences
to advance health care treatment,
including diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy
2

3. What are human spaceflights?
Human spaceflight is spaceflight with a crew or passengers aboard a spacecraft, the
spacecraft being operated directly by the onboard human crew.
People trained for spaceflight are called
• astronauts, cosmonauts, or taikonauts
• non-professionals: spaceflight participants.
To date, Russia, the United States, and China are
the only countries with public or commercial
human spaceflight-capable programs
Soyuz by Soviet space program:
The most serial spaceflight
3

4. The first commercial orbital
crew launch was by SpaceX
in May 2020

5. Safety
Concerns
in a human spaceflight

6. In a human spaceflight,
Safety concerns
Environmental
hazards
Due to hostile
space
environment
Equipment
hazards
Due to possible
equipment
malfunctions
6

7. Equipment Hazards
• Launch: Launch abort system
• Extravehicular activity
• Re-entry and landing
• Artificial atmosphere
• Reliability
Apollo LES pad abort test with
Boilerplate command module
7

8. Environmental Hazards
• Life support
• Medical concerns
• Microgravity
• Radiation
• Isolation / Confinement
• Sensory systems
Graphical Representation of NASA
for hazards related to human spaceflights
8

9. Environmental Hazards:
Life Support
• A group of life-critical devices that
allow a human to survive in space
which supplies air, water and food
while maintaining the body
temperature, pressure, metabolism
and other external influences
• External influences may include
shielding against radiation and
micro-meteorites
• Designed following the safety
engineering techniques
A space shuttle itself is considered as
a life-critical system 9

10. 10
• Gemini, Mercury and Apollo: 100%
oxygen environments
• Space Shuttle: 22% oxygen and
78% nitrogen, ECLSS
• Soyuz: Air-like mixture, KSOZh
(Kompleks Sredstv Obespecheniya
Zhiznideyatelnosti)
• Plug and Play: Enhanced ECLSS
Environmental Hazards:
Life Support

11. NASA-supported studies convey that
human spaceflights are strongly correlated
with,
• The possibility of blindness
• The bone loss
• Change in position and structure of the
brain which may even accelerate the
onset of Alzheimer’s disease
Environmental Hazards:
Medical concerns
MRI-based studies show the possibility
of accelerating Alzheimer’s disease
11

12. • Medical concerns coupled with
microgravity
• Psychological and sociological effects
• On-orbit and post-spaceflight
• Anxiety, Insomnia and depression
• Stress
• Sleep
• Duration of space travel
12
Environmental Hazards:
Medical concerns

13. Sleep in space:
• Frequently suffer from the effects
of sleep deprivation and circadian
rhythm disruption
13
Environmental Hazards:
Medical concerns
• Fatigue due to sleep loss, sleep
shifting and work overload
could cause performance errors
which may result in
compromising mission
objectives and health and safety

14. Space Medicine
• The practice of medicine on astronauts in outer-space whereas
astronautical hygiene: the application of science and technology to the
prevention or control of exposure to the hazards that may cause
astronaut ill-health
• Main objective: Discover how well and for how long people can survive
the extreme conditions in space, and how fast they can adapt to the
Earth's environment after returning from their voyage
14

15. 15
The effects of microgravity environment
are adverse, especially if they are long-
term:
• Muscle atrophy
Environmental Hazards:
Microgravity
• Muscle atrophy: Loss of skeletal
muscle mass

16. 16
• Spaceflight osteopenia: The
characteristic bone loss that occur
during spaceflight
Environmental Hazards:
Microgravity
• Astronauts lose an average of
more than 1% bone mass per month
spent in space

17. 17
• Slowing of cardiovascular functions
• Decreased production of red blood
cells
Environmental Hazards:
Microgravity
• Changes in the immune system

18. 18
• Space adaptation syndrome: Self-limiting
nausea caused by derangement of the
vestibular system due to short term
exposure to microgravity
Environmental Hazards:
Microgravity
• Motion sickness: Occurs due to
due to a difference between
actual and expected motion

19. Environmental Hazards:
Microgravity
Fluid re-distribution
due to microgravity
(exaggerated)
19

20. 20
• Loss of body mass
• Nasal congestion
Environmental Hazards:
Microgravity
• Sleep disturbance
• Excess flatulence

21. Environmental Hazards:
Microgravity
Summary of the effects of
Microgravity on astronauts
21

22. 22
• Needed to be properly shielded against
solar particle events and other associated
radiations
Environmental Hazards:
Radiation
• Without proper shielding,
astronauts may experience a
weakened immune system,
radiation sickness or even death

23. Environmental Hazards:
Radiation
Comparison of radiation
doses
23

24. 24
• Being isolated and confined in small
spaces lead to depression, anxiety, cabin
fever and other psychological problems
Environmental Hazards:
Isolation / confinement
• To date, there is no way to
prevent or reduce mental
problems caused by extended
periods of stay in space

25. 25
• Hearing: In the space station and
spacecraft there are no noises from the
outside, as there is no medium that can
transmit sound waves
Environmental Hazards:
Sensory Systems
• Voices of other members and
mechanical noises become familiar
and do not stimulate the sense of
hearing as much

26. 26
• Sight: Because of weightlessness, the
body's liquids attain an equilibrium
that is different from what it is on
the Earth
• For this reason, an astronaut's face
swells and presses on the eyes; and
therefore their vision is impaired
Environmental Hazards:
Sensory Systems

27. 27
• Smell: The space station has a
permanent odor described as the
smell of gunpowder
• Due to the zero gravity, the bodily
fluids rise to the face and prevent
the sinuses from drying up, which
dulls the sense of smell.
Environmental Hazards:
Sensory Systems

28. 28
• Taste: The sense of taste is directly affected
by the sense of smell and therefore when
the sense of smell is dulled, the sense of
taste is also
Environmental Hazards:
Sensory Systems
• The astronauts' food is bland, and
there are only certain foods that
can be eaten (with less or no
variety)

29. 29
• Touch: There are almost no stimulating
changes in physical contact.
• There is almost no human physical
contact during the journey.
Environmental Hazards:
Sensory Systems

30. 30
• Vestibular system: Due to the lack of
gravity, all the movements required of the
astronauts are changed, and the
vestibular system is damaged by the
extreme change.
Environmental Hazards:
Sensory Systems

31. 31
• The proprioception system: As a result of
weightlessness, few forces are exerted on
the astronauts' muscles; and there is less
stimulus to this system
Environmental Hazards:
Sensory Systems

32. How can we tackle these
life-critical hazards?
32

33. How does Biomedical Engineering
Technologies approach this?
• Even though early technology development efforts promoted
advancements in aeronautics technologies, thermal technologies,
materials for hostile environments, computational capabilities and
microgravity physics, human spaceflight missions accelerated the
need for better collaborations in various engineering disciplines
• Therefore, diverse array of scientific and engineering disciplines
collaborate together to advance and shape these systems
especially in human spaceflights arena
33

34. 34
Early Biomedical
Technologies
• At earlier stages, the necessary
biomedical technologies for human
spaceflights were developed using
collaborations with medical research
centers
• Example: The collaboration of
NASA’s Glenn Research Center
(GRC) with Cleveland Clinic
Foundation

35. Successful outcomes from these
collaborations:
Cataract surgery tool (1977) Innovative Ventricular Assist System
(IVAS) heart pump (1997)
Enhanced Zero-Gravity
Locomotion Simulator (eZLS)
35

36. The current state of left ventricular
assist devices
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/17192-left-ventricular-assist-devices-mechanical-circulatory-support-mcs 36

37. 37
Summary from GRC

38. Latest biomedical technologies
NASA: The Biomedical Engineering for Exploration Space Technology
(BEEST) Laboratory
Two essential elements with respect to upcoming Mars expedition:
• Generation of a wide variety of novel, customized cell and tissue-based
models to facilitate proof of concept, prototype development and final
validation
• Design and development of new portable, lightweight, miniaturized
and user friendly microwave-based prototype hardware
38

39. 39
Latest Projects
from BEEST
• No drill dental healthcare
• Noninvasive treatment for skin
disorders
• Emergency wound closure
• Biofilm eradication
• Surface and water
decontamination
• Waterless cleansing of garments

40. 40
Latest Projects
from BEEST
• No drill dental healthcare:
Completed two small animal studies
to validate the feasibility of treating
caries using microwave technology
without inducing any ill effects on
pulp tissue and bone with 30 and 60
second exposures

41. 41
Latest Projects
from BEEST
• Emergency wound closure:
Apply a protein paste to the wound
and seal it using specific radio
frequencies

42. 42
Latest Projects
from BEEST
• Autonomous clinical care:
To address medical emergencies,
by crewmembers with minimal or no
real-time support from the
ground/mission control
In addition, effectively sterilizing
surfaces in spacecraft with
microwaves could provide a means to
eradicate microbes

43. Latest biomedical technologies
ESA: Biomedical Engineering Projects
• EuCPD - European Crew Personal Dosimeter
• MARES - Muscle Atrophy Research and Exercise System
• Integrated countermeasures for microgravity effects
• I-VED - In-vivo embol detector
• PLATON - Device for measuring Nitric Oxide
• I-BA - Immuno-Biochemical Analyzer
• EPM - European Physiology Module
• PFS/ PPFS - Pulmonary function System
43

44. Latest biomedical technologies
ESA: Biomedical Engineering Projects
• RSS - Miniaturised Sensor System for respiratory investigations
• CASPER - Cardiac Adapted Sleep Parameters Electrocardiogram
Recorder
• PEMS - Percutaneous Electrical Muscle Stimulator
• HGD/ PGB - The Handgrip/ Pinch Force Dynamometer
• Physiological Pressure Measurement Device
• Skin Blood Flow Measuring Device
• CARDIOLAB – CARDIOLAB 2
• Elite-S2 - Body Movement Monitoring Device
44

45. Latest biomedical technologies
ESA: Biomedical Engineering Projects
• VVIS - Visual Vestibular Investigation System
• ETD - Eye tracking device: German Space Agency
• SAHC - Short Arm Human Centrifuge
• Bone Analysis Module
• MEEM - Multi-electrode Electroencephalography system
• OUM - Oxygen Uptake Measurement
• Topical Team on Robot Assisted Surgery
• HPS - Mars 500 Human Patient Simulator
• EAB C - Earlobe Arterialised Blood Collection
• COR - Insulin Pump Wristwatch
45

46. 46
EuCPD - European Crew
Personal Dosimeter
• To measure the radiation exposure
during their flights
• Only 8 mm thick and consists of a
stack of five different passive
radiation sensors, i.e. sensors that
provide a measure of the overall
radiation dose rather than a
measure of radiation with relation
to time.

47. 47
MARES - Muscle Atrophy
Research and Exercise
System
• To specify and measure torque and
angular position/velocity
measurements and training on
joint movements, both left and
right via extensions and flexions

48. 48
MARES - Muscle Atrophy
Research and Exercise
System

49. 49
Integrated
countermeasures for
microgravity effects
• To define the detailed
requirements and concepts
needed to propose and verify the
design for an intelligent intra-
vehicular countermeasure suit
comprised of artificial muscles and
biofeedback systems.

50. 50
I-VED - In-vivo
embol detector
The objective of this project is to
develop technologies facilitating in-
vivo non-invasive detection of bubbles
in the human blood stream due to
decompression sickness

51. 51
PLATON - Device for
measuring Nitric Oxide
This experiment will utilise
improved techniques for analysis of
Nitric Oxide in expired air. This will
be used to study physiological
reactions in humans in
weightlessness

52. 52
I-BA - Immuno-
Biochemical Analyzer
In order to monitor the health of
astronauts and perform human
physiology experiments in space it is
necessary to collect and analyze
samples of blood, urine and saliva of
the crew.
The objective of this technology is to
facilitate both the collection of
samples and timely analysis in-flight

53. 53
EPM - European
Physiology Module
European Physiology Modules are an
International Standard Payload Rack,
equipped with Science Modules to
investigate the effects of long-
duration spaceflight on the human
body

54. 54
EPM - European
Physiology Module

55. 55
PFS/ PPFS - Pulmonary
function System
Due to reasons such as,
• Floating particles in space
• Microgravity
• Breathing and extra-vehicular
activities
Pulmonary functions are monitored
thoroughly

56. 56
RSS - Miniaturised Sensor
System for respiratory
investigations
Development of new miniaturised
planar sensor elements for O2 incl.
flow simultaneously and CO2 while
sensors are inside the mask with fast
data acquisition electronics and
software platforms

57. 57
CASPER - Cardiac Adapted
Sleep Parameters
Electrocardiogram
Recorder
• To test and evaluate a method of
monitoring sleep disturbance and
sleep stability in weightlessness
• CASPER combines objective
physiological data and subjective
inputs

58. 58
PEMS - Percutaneous
Electrical Muscle
Stimulator
• To prevent the effects of
microgravity on astronauts
particularly muscle atrophy and
accompanying effects like bone
mineralization and cardiovascular
de-conditioning

59. 59
CARDIOLAB
• Focuses on the understanding of
the physiological processes at
stake to find eventually preventive
countermeasures and also to
improve rehabilitation procedures

60. 60
ELITE-S2 - 3D
Biomechanical
analyser
• A system for observations on body
motion during long term exposure
to microgravity and to perform
quantitative data collection and
analysis on board the International
Space Station

61. 61
ETD - Eye tracking
device: German
Space Agency
• This experiment centres on the
evaluation of Listing's plane under
different gravity conditions using
the Eye Tracking Device, which is
able to record horizontal, vertical
and rotational eye movements and
measure head movement

62. 62
Topical Team on
Robot Assisted
Surgery
• First step towards medical curative
technologies required for future
space missions but also for
terrestrial applications
• Assisted surgery being a wide and
broad field, the team will develop
a consolidated overview of
assisted surgery activities relevant
for space applications

63. 63
HPS - Mars 500
Human Patient
Simulator
• 'Tele-education' represents one of
the most promising applications of
satellite telemedicine.
• Satellites can multicast video
lectures and associated data to
widely-dispersed sites

64. 64
COR - Insulin Pump
Wristwatch
• 'Tele-education' represents one of
the most promising applications of
satellite telemedicine.
• Satellites can multicast video
lectures and associated data to
widely-dispersed sites

65. References
65
▸ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_spaceflight
▸ https://www.nasa.gov/hrp/5-hazards-of-human-spaceflight
▸ http://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Preparing_for_the_Future/Space_for_E
arth/Space_for_health/Biomedical_engineering
▸ https://www.nasa.gov/content/biomedical-engineering-for-exploration-space-
technology
▸ https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/aeronautics-and-astronautics/16-423j-
aerospace-biomedical-and-life-support-engineering-spring-2006/

66. Any
questions?
66

67. Thank you!
67

68. 68

69. 69