John Hines, Manager of Advanced Biomolecular Technology & Carsten Mundt, Chief Engineer, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffet Field, CA

NASA Tech Briefs, Jun 2004

Along with Stanford University researchers Greg Kovacs and Kevin Montgomery, NASA engineers John Hines and Garsten Mundt have developed a device called the Crew Physiological Observation Device (CPOD). CPOD keeps track of biological data, like changes in heart rate and the amount of oxygen in the blood stream.

NASA Tech Briefs: How does NASA currently monitor astronauts while they're in space?

John Hines: NASA uses various types of medical monitoring instruments that have flown for years in the EVA (Extravehicular Activity) suit such as the orbital bioinstrumentation system (10-15 years old) that measures some parameters, but not the full range of parameters that we're talking about in reference to the CPOD. They don't use anything that is ambulatory that is operational for simple, day-to-day activities.

Carsten Mundt: The most important point is that all of the current systems are hardwired and there really is no wireless physiologic monitor onboard that allows astronauts enough freedom to move around and perform their daily activities. So, whenever they're being monitored, they're only monitored for exercise, or EVA prequalification and special circumstances.

NTB: How will CPOD change this? How does it work?

Hines: Essentially, there are currently no capabilities for wireless ambulatory continuous datalogging or relay-transmit data to monitor either continuous or realtime physiologic monitoring. This system provides these capabilities. The CPOD measures vital signs, and allows those parameters to be stored and transmitted to some external recording device.

Mundt: The CPOD is a small, ergonomically shaped device that can be worn around the waist. It is very comfortable, self-contained, easy to use, lightweight, and relatively small in size.

The suite of parameters that we measure and record with the CPOD include EKG, heart performance, blood pressure, respiration, temperature, blood oxygen levels, how the wearer is moving, etc.

NTB: What are the commercial applications of the device?

Mines: We are currently conducting remote telemedicine applications in Montana on the Native American reservations. If this device were deployed with a nurse practitioner, medic, or non-physician to go out into the field and use it to transmit information back to a central hospital, physicians would be able to directly acquire information about the status of the people that they are caring for.

We also have some Department of Defense (DoD) military-type applications looking at soldiers on the battlefield and in medical evacuation applications.

Mundt: Other applications that may be for a smaller market but are very interesting include high-performance athlete monitoring and all types of extremeenvironment expeditions such as high altitudes.

NTB: What is the next step for your research?

Mundt: On the research and development level we are working on the next generation version of this device. We will add additional capabilities like monitoring and recording GPS and altitude data or expired CO2, various other bloodpressure monitors and different ways of storing data and display capabilities. We are also evaluating various input/output technologies.

A full transcript of this interview appears online at www.techbriefs.com/whoswho. John Hines can be contacted at john.w. hines@nasa.gov. Garsten Mundt can be contacted at cmundt@mail.arc.nasa.gov.