Astronauts are subject to a high level of physical stress in weightlessness. The continuous monitoring of important bodily functions, especially of the cardiovascular system, is therefore urgently required during the stay in space. Findings from space medicine can also be applied to the diagnosis of heart diseases, which are the most common cause of death worldwide. According to the German Federal Statistical Office, the cost of cardiovascular diseases in 2015 amounted to EUR 46.4 billion. Systems currently used for cardiac diagnostics offer only limited possibilities for monitoring high-risk patients or can only be used for inpatient treatment. The “Dr. Beat” project relies on ballistocardiography (BCG), originally developed for space, which can record actual heart function using modern, digital microelectronics.
Within the scope of the project, a high-precision and cost-effective BCG sensor system is being developed that can be worn on the body as a “wearable” and enables continuous health monitoring.
The extensive signal processing, data evaluation and diagnostics will be automated by means of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and should not only provide new insights into space medicine but also improve diagnostics and early detection of cardiological diseases in everyday life.

Benefits:

• Cost-effective, wearable BCG sensor system including signal processing and data evaluation for diagnostics and prediction of
  cardiovascular processes
• Comprehensive, ubiquitous, discrete and continuous cardiovascular diagnostics for risk patients on Earth and astronauts in space using AI
• Fields of application: space medicine, terrestrial medical technology, wellness sector, safety-critical jobs (e.g. pilots, drivers)

The thermal control system (TCS) is a critical component of satellites, one that is supposed to regulate the temperature of payloads and satellite buses under varying internal and external heat loads. Conventional TCSes use cooling fluids and mechanical pumps whose vibrations disturb payloads and sensors onboard a satellite. ZARM proposes a TCS technology based on ferrofluid cooling liquid that is pumped by magnetic fields to avoid mechanical vibrations. This TCS consists of pumping modules that are constructed from a minimum of four magnetic coils to transfer the ferrofluid. To avoid magnetic disturbances in other parts of the satellite, a μ-metal shield is placed around the pump. Since ferrofluids take on different magnetic properties when cooled or heated, permanent magnets can be employed to define prominent places where heat is absorbed. The focus lies on a scalable and modular design that can be included in a broad range of satellite missions. In particular, such missions will likely involve concepts with strongly varying thermal boundary conditions and high-precision measurements, such as for geodesy, Earth observation, or fundamental physics applications.

Benefits:

• Decreased vibrations within the thermal control system
• Improved noise environment
• Scalable, flexible, modular design that can be adapted to a broad range of thermal boundary conditions