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AI algorithms and smart undershirts will be used. The undershirts are made of a smart material called Astroskin. They have been tested previously on the International Space Station (ISS). However, they will need to be redesigned for use in deep space and farther away from Earth.
The Canadian company Hexoskin is designing the wearable device in accordance with a contract that was announced by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) on November 26. Hexoskin CEO and co-founder Pierre-Alexandre Fournier told Space.com that the
“The Lunar Gateway will be about 1,000 times farther away from Earth than the International Space Station, so there will be a lot of constraints in terms of cargo [and] communication, but also the radiation environment aboard the station,” contract was announced by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) on Nov. 26. Fournier added. Related: An astronaut wearing a’smart astroskin’ jersey on the space station
According to NASA, astronauts can absorb between 50 and 2,000 millisieverts ionizing radiation during ISS missions. This is equivalent to 150 to 6,000 X-rays in the chest. According to the European Space Agency, astronauts could be exposed to radiation up to an order of magnitude more during missions on or around the moon.
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“We will have to identify the requirements for the new space station, but we also want to use this as an opportunity to update the product,” Fournier said. The Astroskin wearable monitor is made from the stretchable material, elastane, and equipped with six sensors which continuously monitor the astronaut’s heart rate, blood-pressure, oxygenation, temperature of the skin, activity level, and breathing rate. The data is sent in real-time to a computer application where AI algorithms analyze it and look for any unexpected patterns or changes. The technology was first tested on the ISS by Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques and has been worn ever since. Fournier said
“The nice thing about having a shirt that covers the whole upper body is that you have access to all the surface around the torso where the vital signals can be measured,” . The CSA said in a “fit into astronauts’ daily routines during missions in the lunar environment” statement that the new device would”fit into astronauts’ daily routines during missions in the lunar environment”Fournier anticipates that the smart undershirt will make it to the Lunar Gateway in 2028 or in 2029. Most likely, the first astronauts who visit the new outpost in Artemis 4 missionwill be wearing the smart undershirt. The Lunar Gateway construction is expected to start in 2027, when the first two modules – the Power and Propulsion Element and Habitation and Logistics Outpost – will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. Hexaskin launched the product originally in 2009, with the goal of applying AI and data-driven methods to preventative healthcare. They hoped that the technology would assist medical researchers in studying chronic conditions, such as respiratory and cardiac diseases. Fournier said
“Our goal was to develop things for everyone that needs medical attention on Earth,” . “It’s still our focus today.”
In 2011, the company won a contract for a bio-monitoring system for astronauts. Since then, it has been tested in different settings. Astroskin undershirts have been used by astronauts on the Space Station, as well as in simulations of Mars missionson Earth, long-duration Antarctica expeditions, and to help professionals in high-stress occupations such first responders and Pilots. Fournier said
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