Q&A: Constructing an autonomous module to watch astronauts’ well being

Phyxable, a digital care platform that connects sufferers with physiotherapists and gives customers instruments to be proactive with their well being, was chosen by the Canadian Area Company as one in every of 5 firms to contribute to its 2023 Well being Past Initiative, which helps sustainable and revolutionary options that handle well being challenges confronted by astronauts.

Dr. Jim Feng, CEO of Phyxable, sat down with MobiHealthNews to debate the Related Care Medical Module the physiotherapy firm and its companions are engaged on with the Company to investigate astronauts’ well being throughout area flight. 

MobiHealthNews: How is Phyxable working with the Canadian Area Company?

Dr. Jim Feng: CSA and NASA, and all people who’s at present on this new area flight journey to Mars, we’re in search of higher methods in creating human well being. And when you have a look at area well being, particularly deep area well being, the place there’s lengthy flights that could possibly be six months or extra in period, and in a microgravity scenario, the way you maintain these sufferers and maintain ourselves actually is way totally different than what we do on Earth. 

We do not have the sources, primary. That is the important thing element there. After which you possibly can solely have, in all probability, generalists who know somewhat about a number of issues, however not so much about little issues. 

So one element of the CSA, and that is public data, is that the RFP [request for proposal] that they put out was particularly for 2 parts. One is the {hardware} facet. So how do you really construct little clinics and hospitals and that may be autonomous in nature, in addition to self-sustained? So we constructed this actually cool medical pod, and we’ll be capable to showcase it within the upcoming months.

It’s going to be on the Canadian Area Company for NATO and NASA for individuals to return by and examine, so it is actually thrilling instances. So we’ve got this pod that is totally autonomous. There’s like 30 photo voltaic panels, a rain catch system, UV sterilization, such as you title it, we bought it. We even have robotics in there. 

The {hardware} is constructed by three companions. So it is Phyxable, Micron Digital and WizCraft Design. So we’ve got all of the talent units to construct the parts, the {hardware} parts of it. And yeah, the pod is definitely referred to as Superior Medical Pods.

After which a key element of that is that it must be interoperable. You have got to have the ability to plug and play totally different units in there to have the ability to get totally different options. As a result of we won’t construct all of it, on the finish of the day, we wish to have the ability to combine. In order that’s key. So there’s going to be a number of gamers which might be going to be engaged on the Phyxable platform.  

After which, on the opposite facet, is the software program. We created a extremely cool AI-based device that we will launch to the world, and I feel it solves an enormous downside for interoperability. It is referred to as Morpheus. There’s extra to return. That is Phyxable and Micron Digital collectively. We’re engaged on the venture collectively, led by Rohit Seth.

MHN: How is the module going to attach suppliers right here on Earth to astronauts in area successfully, particularly since there is usually a lag in communication time relying on their location?

Feng: There’s undoubtedly a delay. So I feel the distinction of what we’re constructing, together with a mesh community, really, that Micron Digital has, that we’re incorporating into the system, permits for various methods of connectivity.  

It is totally autonomous in its personal proper. It might work by itself, but when it’s good to department out, it has a strategy to synchronize with the cloud on Earth, in addition to again. And with regard to telemedicine, the dialog modifications in the way you cope with instances. The workflow modifications. If in case you have a change in workflow, you need to change how the data is relayed from, you already know, texts/voice, photos, closed captioning and issues in between. 

And what we’re projecting is we’ll have a demo up and prepared by our showcase within the second week of July. In order that’ll be once we’ll really totally be out to the world.  

Quite a lot of stuff must be autonomous on the ships, on the area station, on the gateway, on the lunar bases, and hopefully, ultimately on the Mars bases. After which that is the place actually good AI can are available in to make some steered implementation duties and the way to do it for the generalists which might be there as nicely.

So these are issues that we’re constructing for the system as nicely. So we’re actually excited for that, as a result of I feel finally it actually expedites how we work right here on Earth.