Ceremony Was Held During National Space Symposium In Colorado Springs

Two ultrasound devices developed by NASA's Johnson Space Center and Mediphan of Ontario, Canada, were inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame at the 29th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, CO, last month.

The DistanceDoc, which allows remote ultrasound users to transmit images securely in real time over the internet, and MedRecorder, which captures diagnostic-quality images for future reference, both allow for telemedicine ultrasound procedures to be performed in previously inaccessible locations by minimally trained individuals.

The enabling technologies were derived from the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity project, which produced a specially designed ultrasound currently installed on the International Space Station. It was developed through collaboration among Johnson Space Center, the Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI, and Wyle Laboratories Inc.,Houston, TX. Aided by software and guidance from experts on the ground, the new system lets crew members with minimal technical training to image a wide range of body parts to track the effects of spaceflight on various systems.

Applications on Earth include telemedicine ultrasound diagnosis, remote training and instruction for medical students, and rapid diagnosis in sports medicine.  NASA invests in these kinds of technologies and partnerships to foster innovation, which pay off here on Earth, creating new jobs and improving our lives.

Individuals who developed the technology and their organizations also were inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame at the April 11 ceremony. They are: Dr. Scott A. Dulchavsky, chair of the Department of Surgery at Henry Ford Hospital; Mike Sandler, president & CEO of Mediphan, and Leroy Chiao, former NASA astronaut and researcher for the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity Project.

FMI: www.nasa.gov