University of Saskatchewan
Spacecraft Medical Imaging System — The University of Saskatchewan and its partners will explore the capability of developing a bio-medical imaging system that will scan for critical health risks such as the effects of radiation on the brain, spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome, bone and muscle loss, as well as other risks ranging from cancer to broken bones. The system will be centered around a head-sized multimodal magnetic resonance imager ( MRI ), in which the sensors found in different brain imaging methods – near infrared spectroscopy, electroencephalography, electrical impedance tomography, and optical coherence tomography – will be used to enhance and complement the MRI data. A complete machine-learning based software suite will then merge the acquired multi-modality images for interpretation and analysis, extract features of interest, model and simulate on-going processes, and provide guidance for space personnel.