NASA is testing a new artificial intelligence tool to help keep astronauts healthy during missions without an onboard physician or steady communication with Earth, starting with its Artemis campaign to return to the moon.
In an Aug. 8 blog post, Jim Kelly, vice president of federal sales – public sector, at Google wrote how Google and NASA built a proof-of-concept automated Clinical Decision Support System called the Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant.
The AI-powered tool draws on spaceflight literature and uses Natural Language Processing and machine learning to deliver real-time analyses of crew health and performance.
The system is designed to help a crew medical officer or flight surgeon make data-driven decisions when Earth-based experts aren’t available. In early trials, it was tested on a range of medical scenarios and evaluated using the Objective Structured Clinical Examination framework, which measures the skills of medical students and healthcare professionals. The results showed promise for producing reliable diagnoses based on reported symptoms.
“This innovative system isn’t just about supporting space exploration; it’s about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible with AI to provide essential care in the most remote and demanding environments,” Kelly wrote. “This tool represents an important milestone for AI assisted medical care and our continued exploration of the cosmos. It holds potential for advancing space missions and could also benefit people here on Earth by providing early access to quality medical care in remote areas.”
Google and NASA are now working with doctors to refine the model, with the goal of bolstering autonomous medical care for future missions to the moon, Mars and beyond. The technology could also help deliver quality medical care to people in remote areas on Earth.