| Summary: | Master of Science === Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering === Steven Warren === Networks of low-power, in-suit, wired and wireless health sensors offer the potential to
track and predict the health of astronauts engaged in extra-vehicular and in-station
activities in zero- or reduced- gravity environments. Fundamental research questions
exist regarding (a) types and form factors of biomedical sensors best suited for these
applications, (b) optimal ways to render wired/wireless on-body networks with the
objective to draw little-to-no power, and (c) means to address the wireless transmission
challenges offered by a spacesuit constructed from layers of aluminized mylar.
This thesis addresses elements of these research questions through the implementation of
a collection of ZigBee-based wireless health monitoring devices that can potentially be
integrated into a spacesuit, thereby providing continuous information regarding astronaut
fatigue and state of health. Wearable biomedical devices investigated for this effort
include electrocardiographs, electromyographs, pulse oximeters, inductive
plethysmographs, and accelerometers/gyrometers. These ZigBee-enabled sensors will
form the nodes of an in-suit ZigBee Pro network that will be used to (1) establish
throughput requirements for a functional in-suit network and (2) serve as a performance
baseline for future devices that employ ultra-low-power field-programmable gate arrays
and micro-transceivers. Sensor devices will upload data to a ZigBee network coordinator
that has the form of a pluggable USB connector. Data are currently visualized using
MATLAB and LabVIEW.
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