SSpace exploration is a fascinating topic, especially following the recent release of NASA images from the James Webb Space Telescope, which captured stunningly detailed photos. Typically, the study of space helps us find our place in the universe, but it also has implications for the wider human race. For example, the technology used to explore space has often been adapted to benefit human health. If you want to find out more on this topic, continue reading.
Surgical Transformation
The technology used on the International Space Station (ISS) has made way for changes in surgery. When robots first started being used in operating rooms, Hong Kong engineer Yung Kai Leung was busy creating instruments for outer space, but soon evolved his work into surgical arms. Innovations in a range of STEM areas have implications across the spectrum. If you’re a tech and space enthusiast that wants to make positive changes, click here to find out more about the Space Foundation and expand your knowledge today.
Human Body Understanding
Astronauts are exposed to isolation, radiation, and changes caused by microgravity. According to research, the pressures experienced by astronauts are similar to those of sedentary lives and ageing. Thanks to the experiments performed in space, treatments have been developed for osteoporosis, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular and balance issues.
Remote Area Medical Assistance
Providing medical assistance to rural areas isn’t always easy. However, thanks to advanced satellite technology, urban medical facilities can provide quality remote care. Other areas of space tech transitioning into medical innovation are remote heart monitoring, like the technology used in Bio-Analyzer – capable of measuring astronauts’ stats from Earth.
Breast Cancer Detection and Treatment
If we head across to Canada and take a look at IGAR, a teleoperated robot used to perform biopsies, you will find that space robots were responsible for its creation. The procedure carried out by IGAR is non-invasive and extremely precise. The fact that this robot was born through space explorations demonstrates the purpose of space exploration.
Healthy Hearts
Our hearts are responsible for keeping our bodies oxygenated and healthy, which is why they’re important to look after. When astronauts are in space, gravity gets in the way and complicates the process. In response to this, space centers began analyzing the heart before, during, and after missions. Eventually, they developed a heart pump for keeping up blood flow in space, which is now being used on Earth to keep prospective heart transplant patients alive.
Pressure Garments for Post-Birth Bleeding
During long space missions, astronauts’ bodies weaken, and their heart rate reduces significantly, which is why they wear a g-suit suit when they land. Putting pressure on the torso and legs helps to alleviate stress and avoid fatigue, fainting, lightheadedness, and nausea. The technology used in g-suits is being applied to women in childbirth – pressurizing the entire lower half of the body can stop post-birth bleeding and save lives.
Without scratching beneath the surface, space exploration can feel pointless. However, when you marry up space technology with medical innovations, it changes your entire perception.