In-Orbit Ultrasounds Conducted Onboard Space Vehicles

Medical imaging technology has led to quicker diagnoses of conditions that, when caught early, can be treated. Because such devices are large, however, they are impractical in the limited area of a space vehicle. An on-going NASA project to address the issue involves image fusion, where in-orbit ultrasounds would be combined with previously done Earth-bound scans that are more informative. NASA Tech Briefs spoke with Dr. Richard Boyle, the project’s principal investigator.

Dr. Boyle explained, “Image fusion is the combining of images of the same subject from different modalities, from CT scans to MRIs. This produces a coherent 3D image that has multi-dimensional information that should be superior to any of the constituent images alone.”

Read the “Who’s Who at NASA” interview with Dr. Richard Boyle on page 10 of the June issue, or click here.

Researchers at Northwestern University’s Center for Quantum Dots (CQD) have developed new quantum dot infrared photodetectors (QDIPs) that could result in new imaging techniques for medical and biological imaging, night vision, and infrared imaging from space. Using nanotechnology to form the quantum dots, the team is close to achieving the goal of developing imaging techniques that can operate at higher temperatures.

Conventional infrared photon detector technology for imaging requires that the detector be cooled to very low temperatures, adding extra cost, more bulk, and higher power consumption, limiting their usability. Development of an infrared photon detector that can operate at higher temperatures will enable the use of cheaper, lighter, and more efficient cooling methods in the design of infrared imaging systems, according to CQD director, Manijeh Razeghi.

CQD researchers have used the technology to build an infrared camera based on the device. Thermal imaging was demonstrated at temperatures up to 200 degrees Kelvin- the highest ever demonstrated for a QDIP focal plane array.

Find out more here.

A technology for monitoring protein growth — developed in part through NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding from Marshall Space Flight Center — is noninvasive, nondestructive, rapid, and more cost effective than x-ray analysis. The partner for this SBIR, Photon-X, Inc. (Huntsville, AL), developed spatial-phase imaging technology that can monitor crystal growth in real time and in an automated mode.

Spatial-phase imaging involves the use of proprietary filters. The operator uses a single camera to acquire a series of spatial-phase images of a specimen. Next, the image data is digitally processed using algorithms that extract information on the 3D properties of the protein crystal of interest. This can be processed further to extract information about the symmetry of the crystal and to detect flaws. This method should accelerate the search for conditions to optimize the growth of proteins and be a means of automating the growth of high-quality protein crystals.

Click here for more information about this and other NASA Spinoffs.

Brown University researchers are creating a technology that will allow doctors and scientists to see inside living humans and animals, and watch their bones move in 3D as they run, fly, jump, swim, and slither. This high-resolution, high-speed imaging system will contribute to better treatments for knee, shoulder, wrist, and back injuries, and help scientists understand the evolution of complex movements.

Dubbed CTX, the system will combine the 3D capability of CT scanners and the real-time movement tracking of cinefluoroscopy. The technology is expected to deliver images with exceptional precision and detail. Researchers will beable to track 3D skeletal movements with 0.1 millimeter accuracy and see the equivalent of 1,000 CT images per second.

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