Medical Technology Needed for Mars/Commercial Applications

Clinician_Antilles · 2021-11-07 17:53:35

Hi everyone,

I want to recognize and acknowledge the original Technology Needed For Mars thread as the inspiration to my launching this. I hope I am not stepping any toes by doing so, and my reasoning is as follows:

In a conversation with tahanson43206, we discussed the need of new medical devices for Mars that could also potentially used on Earth for commercial applications. This could be anything really, but I think our idea was in essence try to recombine pre-existing technologies in interesting new ways that could potentially be profitable. The forum is essentially a place of discussion and dialogue, and so I want to create a space for people to float their ideas and seek feedback on what could and could not work by drawing on the expertise of others here.

For ex, I have zero training in any discipline of engineering, so I hope when I have a proposal for something that is physically impossible I am gently informed of my errors and why it would not work. Likewise, if anyone has any questions on the medical side of things, I would be happy to offer my thoughts and perspectives as well

I know that currently this is only a place to converse, but my hope is that the conversations that take place here lead to the birth of an idea that can bring a benefit to humanity. I'd hope that the same people in this forum will be able to cooperate and benefit from this personally.

I would like to invite tahanson43206 to kick off the discussion! I will try to return to this thread periodically as I grow more acclimated with the forum.

SpaceNut · 2021-11-07 18:06:47

Congratulation on your first topic.

We have a myriad of topics from journey radiation and cosmic radiation in a ship that does not have enough or no protection.

To the same but different levels of exposure over a mars mission cycle.

Then you have the total package of ailments and disease which may be exasperated by going to mars to contend with.

Of course lets not forget the klutz in all of us for the accidents that we all seem to have at some point in our lives.

kbd512 · 2021-11-07 18:24:05

Clinician_Antilles,

Off the top of my head, as a doctor working on Mars you'll have constant issues with the following:

1. Decompression sickness associated with EVAs, amongst those who must go outside to construct the base

2. Altitude sickness if lower atmospheric pressures are used to reduce pure Oxygen pre-breathe times prior to EVAs

3. Methods to immobilize broken bones inside space suits (accidents will happen, so it's best not to pretend that some level of care on the part of the worker will prevent them)

4. Methods of removing space suits from people who have sustained broken bones, especially if we stick with gas bag space suits (Apollo and Space Shuttle style space suits are good for microgravity, but almost impractical for normal range of motion required by a construction worker and more importantly, keeping people alive after an accident that causes serious injury)

5. Vitamin deficiencies caused by the requirement to live and work with 2 meters or more of regolith protection from CME / SPE / GCR, combined with limited selection of nutritious foods (a lot of doctors seem to hand-waive dietary problems, as if it has limited effect on the health of their patients, which is simply not true- because if it was true, then we wouldn't have so many people dying from obesity-related medical issues)

6. Potential issues with atrophy of muscles and bone de-mineralization from the lower gravity of Mars if rigorous exercise routines are not followed

7. Issues with digestive tract anomalies exacerbated by lower gravity

8. Psychological issues from death or trauma or physical isolation or claustrophobic people

9. Limited availability of medicines and medical supplies (although this really should be taken care of during mission planning)

10. Various "failures of imagination" during mission planning (unrealistic training or unrealistic expectations leading to avoidable personnel casualties) causing or making worse, all of the above problems.

Good luck. You'll need it.

RobertDyck · 2021-11-07 18:30:36

Medical tricorder, to take a term from Star Trek. Airport security scanners already have millimetre wave image sensors. That technology is powerful because it can see a centimetre or two beneath skin. The longer the wavelength, the deeper it can penetrate, but the courser the image. The shorter the wavelength, the more shallow, but higher resolution image. I'm hoping for an image sensor the size of a smartphone camera that can image various different wavelengths in the millimetre band. This would allow first responders to image broken bones without the need for X-ray. A millimetre wave light source of matching wavelength would be useful.

Both millimetre wave and terrahertz are electromagnetic radiation between microwave and infrared. Wavelength is shorter than microwave, but longer than infrared. Terrahertz has shorter wavelength than millimetre wave. Terrahertz will not penetrate skin, but spectra in that band can identify many organic compounds at remarkably trace concentrations. This allows an image sensor to perform an organic chemical analysis of the sweat of the subject's skin. That can provide a lot of diagnostic information.

Medical database with expert system to match symptoms to possible causes. This does not replace a medical practitioner (doctor, nurse practitioner, first responder, paramedic, etc), it's just a tool that they can use for rapid diagnosis. Some sort of code to access the subject's medical records would be very helpful: bar code, QR code, or near field. That last one is the system used for "tap" for payment systems. Note, the medical database with expert system would simply be an app that could be loaded onto a standard smartphone. The Mars base medical records could be accessed via Wifi as a "cloud" database.

Image sensors above could be snapped onto a standard smartphone. Essential is a brand of smartphone, PH-1 is the only model they made. That phone has Bluetooth for communication with accessories, but it also has a two metal spots on the back where accessories can attach. The metal spots provide power from the phone to the accessory. Motorola Moto has a connector for "Moto Mods", which also provides power. Both Essential and Motorola phones use Android. Image sensor could be a separate unit, but using the smartphone display would then require 2 hands: one for the sensor, the other for the phone. It would be more convenient if the sensor was attached to the phone so the medical practitioner could hold it in one hand, freeing the other hand to care for the patient. Or you could have it clip to the phone magnetically, like the camera attachment for the Essential phone. Then the medical practitioner use it attached or separate.

Directly feeding chemical data from the terrahertz imager into the medical database would allow the expert system to make diagnoses very easily. And could update the patient's medical records.

::Edit:: You can already buy ultrasound wands that connect via USB cable. I think there are ultrasound wands that work via Bluetooth. And one medical doctor developed an attachment for an iPhone that has metal contacts on the back of an iPhone case that act has ECG contacts. The app displays an electrocardiogram. Perhaps a sensor that has one contact with a very small battery, about the size of a earpods, with a wire to the other contact. With a case that allows the ECG contacts to be charged the same way as earpods. Again, Bluetooth communication to a smartphone.

Last edited by RobertDyck (2021-11-07 19:00:51)

RobertDyck · 2021-11-07 18:51:51

Hypospray. This is a term that was actually a brand name in real life in 1959. The generic term is a jet injector.
Wikipedia: Jet injector

A jet injector is a type of medical injecting syringe device used for a method of drug delivery known as jet injection, in which a narrow, high-pressure stream of liquid that penetrates the outermost layer of the skin (stratum corneum) to deliver medication to targeted underlying tissues of the epidermis or dermis ("cutaneous" injection, also known as classical "intradermal" injection), fat ("subcutaneous" injection), or muscle ("intramuscular" injection).

This doesn't use a needle, so impact to the patient is less. The issue was back contamination. This would require careful engineering to ensure no back contamination of the injector from the patient's blood. The use in 1959 was vaccination against typhus. If a patient had typhus, back contamination could spread typhus to the next patient. If that issue can be resolved, this could be very useful. There is a jet injector for insulin right now, called InsuJet. Doesn't hurt as much as a needle, and this one side-steps the back contamination issue because it's intended for just one user. Contaminating himself is not an issue.

It would be nice if an injector could be set to draw a certain volume of product (vaccine, insulin, etc) then pressurize that liquid and inject without any other carrier fluid. And seal the nozzle flush with the surface that touches the patient's arm. Do not draw anything inside from the injection nozzle, and no cavity once sealed. So the end could be just swabbed with alcohol using a cotton ball, same as you would swab the patient's arm. Piezoelectricity nozzle valve? If the injector is run through electricity instead of pneumatic, it could be very compact. In Star Trek TOS, Dr McCoy's hypospray was operated manually.

tahanson43206 · 2021-11-07 21:13:25

For kbd512 re Post #3

It is hard to keep track of everything, so you might have missed RobertDyck's design for the habitat and EVA suits.

There will be NO decompression sickness if RobertDyck's design prevails, because it deliberately and specifically avoids the issue.

You can find detailed explanations in many of the posts of RobertDyck, especially in the Large Ship topic, but I'll offer a summery and hopefully RobertDyck will follow up with links to some of his many posts.

The habitat pressure Memory Aid is 5-4-3

The habitat pressure is 1/2 Earth Normal

The Oxygen pressure is 3 PSI

The inert gas pressure is 5 PSI

The EVA suit pressure is 3 PSI

When transitioning from inside the habitat to an EVA suit and back, the operator maintains a constant Oxygen pressure of 3 PSI.

This is an over simplification because I am reporting using a memory aid. The actual pressures differ slightly.

I've forgotten what the 4 meant.

(th)

kbd512 · 2021-11-07 23:55:20

tahanson43206,

Maybe so, but theory and practice rarely align quite as well as we'd like them to. All of the time and money we've spent on space medical research has taught us that humans still function best with an Earth sea level atmospheric composition and Earth-like gravity.

RobertDyck · 2021-11-08 00:39:05

Shifting discussion of spaceship pressure and spacesuit design. Large Ship post #484

tahanson43206 · 2021-11-08 15:02:31

For Clinician_Antilles per discussion by email, here is the "Smart Flosser" concept....

Invention wanted: Flossing tool (similar to Reach/Listerine product) with disposable flossing heads and builtin camera, light and Bluetooth transmitter.

In operation, the device will broadcast video of the work area to a nearby Smart Phone.

Electronics and battery will be installed in the handle.

This should end up as a billion dollar industry on Earth with a smaller but growing market on Mars.

(th)

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#1 2021-11-07 17:53:35

Medical Technology Needed for Mars/Commercial Applications

#2 2021-11-07 18:06:47

Re: Medical Technology Needed for Mars/Commercial Applications

#3 2021-11-07 18:24:05

Re: Medical Technology Needed for Mars/Commercial Applications

#4 2021-11-07 18:30:36

Re: Medical Technology Needed for Mars/Commercial Applications

#5 2021-11-07 18:51:51

Re: Medical Technology Needed for Mars/Commercial Applications

#6 2021-11-07 21:13:25

Re: Medical Technology Needed for Mars/Commercial Applications

#7 2021-11-07 23:55:20

Re: Medical Technology Needed for Mars/Commercial Applications

#8 2021-11-08 00:39:05

Re: Medical Technology Needed for Mars/Commercial Applications

#9 2021-11-08 15:02:31

Re: Medical Technology Needed for Mars/Commercial Applications

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