The Canadian Space Agency has inked a deal with med tech company Hexoskin to develop wearables with an eye to supporting remote monitoring of their astronauts’ vital signs in space.
A post by mHealth Intelligence, notes the Montreal company has been working with the CSA since 2011. As part of its contract, it will produce an Advanced Crew Medical System, with wireless sensors with adhesives that attach to the body to monitor astronauts’ vital signs, diagnose health issues and develop a treatment plan that would be applicable during space missions, according to mHealth Intelligence. It will also produce a data management system with an electronic health record and a monitoring interface.
Hexoskin’s technology was field tested in Antarctica and on the slopes of one of Hawaii’s tallest volcanoes so it’s demonstrated it can perform in some pretty harsh conditions. Even so, it won’t be the first wearable in space. The FIT armbands developed by BodyMedia, acquired by Jawbone in 2013, found their way to the International Space Station in 2011 to evaluate astronauts’ energy needs for long space flights, the article noted.
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Space travel needs have spurred and deepened our understanding of the impact of radiation on the body to the development of medtech to support remote monitoring such as telemedicine. One of the initiatives intended to encourage more medtech innovation is the Launch Health Challenge.
Here’s an interesting factoid I came across in a cursory search of medtech and space. The man dubbed the father of space medicine was Hubertus Strughold — a Nazi associated with brutal and morally repugnant medical experiments who came to the U.S. as part of Operation Paperclip.
Photo: Flickr user NASA(featured), Hexoskin
