NASA Spinoffs: Health & Medicine

From pacemakers and implantable heart pumps, to laser angioplasty, GAT scans, and MRIs, NASA technology has been the basis for some of the century's most incredible medical breakthroughs. Recent advances drawing upon NASA-developed or NASA-sponsored technologies include laser vision correction, cochlear implants, and improved physical therapy devices. As we complete our year-long look at some of the most important NASA spinoffs, we focus on these three recent advances in the Health & Medicine field that have their roots in NASA technology.

For further information on NASA spinoff technologies, visit www.techbriefs.com/spinoff.

Laser Vision Correction

LASIK surgery improves vision by reshaping the cornea - the clear front surface of the eye - using an excimer laser system. During surgery, laser pulses must be accurately placed, which is challenging because of the patient's constant eye movement. A person's eyes make small, involuntary (saccadic) movements about 100 times per second. Since these movements will not stop during surgery, most excimer laser systems use an eye-tracking device that measures the movements and guides the placement of the laser beam.LADARVision's eye-tracking device stems from LADAR technology originally developed through several Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contracts with NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, and the U.S. Department of Defense's Ballistic Missile Defense Office (BMDO). The technology was developed for autonomous rendezvous and dockinff of space vehicles to service satellites. LADAR was also used in military and NASA-sponsored research for applications in strategic target-tracking and weapons firing control. www.alconlabs.com

Cochlear Implants

In the 1970s, after three failed hearing-correction surgeries, Aclam Kissiah began working on what would become known as the cochlear implant, a surgically implanted device that provides hearing sensation to persons with severe-to-profound hearing loss who receive little or no benefit from hearing aids. Kissiah had no medical background - instead, he used his expertise as an electronics instrumentation engineer at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as the basis for his invention.

Unlike a hearing aid, which makes sounds louder, the cochlear implant selects speech signal information and produces a pattern of electrical pulses in a patient's ear. A microphone picks up sounds and transmits them to a speech processor that converts them into digital signals.

In 1977, NASA helped Kissiah obtain a patent for the device. Since then, numerous hearing aid manufacturers have applied the concept to their cochlear implant products. The Cochlear Implant Association estimates that more than 66,000 patients have received an implant, creating what is today a $1.65 billion industry.

Physical Therapy Equipment

A new rehabilitative device improves physical therapy for patients trying to regain the ability to walk after a traumatic injury or degenerative illness. Manufactured by Enduro Medical Technology of East Hartford, CT, the SAmbulation Module (S.A.M.) creates a stable environment for patients as they stand during therapy. S.A.M. is a wheeled walker with a unique harness that supports the patient's body weight and controls the pelvis without restricting hip movement. Electronic linear actuators raise and lower the harness, varying the weight placed on the patient's legs.

Cable-compliant joints developed at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD, provide S.A.M.'s unique element. Consisting of connected cable segments, the joints dynamically connect to the harness, providing stability and shock absorption, while allowing for subtle twisting and cushioning.