June 15, 2004

Dolores Beasley
Headquarters, Washington
(Phone: 202/358-1753)

John Bluck 
Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.
(Phone: 650/604-5026/9000)

Rosanne Spector
Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford, Calif.
(Phone: 650/725-5374)

RELEASE: 04-191

NASA DEVICE MONITORS HEALTH OF SCIENTISTS AND EXPLORERS

A lightweight, portable device developed by NASA scientists is 
enabling physicians to monitor the health and safety of explorers in 
remote locations on Earth. It may eventually be used in space to 
monitor astronauts during space travel.

The wireless LifeGuard system watched over the vital signs of several 
expedition members who sampled soils and water from the world's 
highest alpine lake, nearly 20,000 feet up the Licancabur volcano, on 
the border between Chile and Bolivia, last year. 

"Having the team wearing these LifeGuard systems added an element of 
safety in this extreme environment," said expedition leader Nathalie 
Cabrol of NASA's Ames Research Center (ARC), Moffett Field, Calif. 
The system allows real-time monitoring of vital parameters such as 
heart rate, blood pressure, electrocardiogram (EKG), breathing rate, 
and temperature. It can also measure human movements in three 
dimensions.

The LifeGuard units sent real-time vital signs from subjects at the 
volcano to scientists at ARC by satellite. This demonstrated the 
monitor's potential to work in an extreme environment. The test 
demonstrated the enhanced ability for doctors to practice 
telemedicine over long distances on Earth or potentially in space. 

"More recently, we did experiments aboard NASA's KC-135 aircraft that 
flies big, rollercoaster-like maneuvers to create short periods of 
weightlessness," said Dr. Gregory Kovacs of Stanford University, 
Stanford, Calif.

"During the KC-135 flights, we explored the body's vital signs' 
response to changing gravitational forces, and we transmitted the 
wireless data from the subject to another location in the plane. The 
experiments were quite successful," Kovacs added.

"The data logger part of the system that collects data from body 
sensors is about the size of your palm and weighs about 166 grams 
(six ounces)," said Carsten Mundt, an engineer who is developing 
LifeGuard at ARC. "The sensors we use are quite easy to apply and 
comfortable to wear," Mundt said.

The LifeGuard's button sensors stick to the skin to take EKG and 
breathing rate. The device uses an arm cuff to measure blood 
pressure. The data logger connects to a sensor clipped or wrapped on 
an index finger to measure oxygen in the blood and pulse rate. The 
system's sensors connect to the LifeGuard by wires. LifeGuard's data 
logger has a transmitter that radios collected data to a base station 
computer. The data logger has sensors that measure astronaut 
movements in three dimensions. 

"LifeGuard also could be used by physicians on Earth, since the system 
could be put on a patient very quickly and transmit vital signs 
during transfer to the hospital," Mundt said. "When the patient comes 
in, the doctor would already know the status of the patient," Mundt 
added.

"The system can be worn by firefighters and hazardous material workers 
to monitor their health during activities," Mundt said. "It could 
even be worn by patients at home," he added. Home uses could include 
diagnosing sleep disorders, heart disease or unsteady gait in the 
elderly.

The NASA team working on the LifeGuard system has been developing 
physiological monitors for the past decade. The Astrobionics team at 
NASA began work on LifeGuard in October 2002, and is collaborating 
with the National Center for Space Biological Technologies at 
Stanford University. The research is in support of the NASA Office of 
Exploration Systems and the Vision for Space Exploration. For more 
information about LifeGuard on the Internet, visit: 



http://LifeGuard.stanford.edu

For information about NASA and agency programs on the Internet, visit: 


http://www.nasa.gov

NASA TV is available on AMC-9, transponder 9C, C-Band, located at 85 
degrees west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0 MHz. Polarization is 
vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80 MHz. For information about 
NASA TV on the Internet, visit: 

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv 

	
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