Fiscal Year:
2011
Title:
Laser Stethoscope for Use in Noisy Spacecraft Environments
Agency:
NASA
Contract:
NNX11CD42P
Award Amount:
$99,987.00
Abstract:
Auscultation, or listening to internal sounds made by the body of a patient, is an important tool in medical diagnostics. Heart, lung, intestine, and circulatory function can be assessed through careful listening. There are numerous situations, however, where the faint sounds collected using an ordinary stethoscope are overwhelmed by ambient noise. Such is the case in spacecraft, where room is scarce and noise generating equipment is always nearby. Here, a stethoscope employing laser Doppler vibrometry is proposed. Through an innovative design employing adaptive filtering, the new-technology stethoscope will provide immunity to external noise while providing conventional auscultation sounds for easy interpretation by medical professionals. Phase I and Phase II development will result in a system that is lightweight, rugged, efficient, and compact, making it suitable for use in space. The system will provide enhanced medical care for astronauts in space, allowing auscultation sounds to be transmitted back to mission control medical personnel despite the high levels of ambient noise present in the spacecraft.
Principal Investigator:
James J. Scire
Principal Investigator
8605289806
jscire@AFRinc.com
Business Contact:
James R. Markham
Chief Executive Officer
8605289806
jim@AFRinc.com
Small Business Information at Submission:
Advanced Fuel Research, Inc.
87 Church Street East Hartford, CT -
EIN/Tax ID:
061016313
DUNS:
N/A
Number of Employees:
Woman-Owned:
No
Minority-Owned:
No
HUBZone-Owned:
No