Volume 9, Number 6 • November/December 2001 • Cover Story

NASA’s Assistive Technologies Benefiting People

What do a knee brace, an eye tracker, using telemedicine to ease pain, and robotic stepper devices have in common? They are all NASA-developed technologies that can be used as assistive technologies.

These examples are only some of the technologies that NASA has developed over the years that serve as assistive technologies. Some of these advanced technologies were developed specifically for an assistive purpose. Other high-tech gadgets were developed for use by NASA and have been adapted by companies to develop new products or improve existing ones.

Vernotto C. McMillan, manager of MSFC’s Technology Transfer, said, “A technology transfer that directly benefits mankind is always a great success story. As we develop new space and propulsion technologies in the future, it is imperative that we begin with the end in mind. We call this commercialization planning, and it allows us to explore potential uses of mission technologies prior to their development. In the end, NASA will have a technology that meets mission requirements, and US industry will have a technology that lends itself to a commercial product.”

According to Al Pappano, manager of JPL’s Collaborative Technology Development Office, there are difficulties when commercializing these technologies. “There isn’t one assistive technology market,”Pappano said. “There are many small markets, which makes it difficult for commercial companies to produce these devices economically. Instead, a better approach is to develop technologies that can be used by the larger markets and, with some modifications, will result in products that are affordable by people who need assistive technologies.”

Several NASA technologies are now being used or are in the process of being developed for use as assistive technologies; these include:

• Selectively Lockable Knee Brace—Developed at Marshall Space Flight Center
• Master molds for prosthetics—Developed at The Harshberger Prosthetic & Orthotic Center, Inc. in Birmingham, Alabama
• Study of pain palliation for the terminally ill—Encouraged and partially funded by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
• Advanced eye tracker systems—Developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• Robotic stepper—Developed at Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Currently being manufactured by LC Technologies, Inc. of Fairfax, Virginia, the Eyegaze system, incorporating the latest JPL-developed technological enhancements, is used primarily by people with severe spinal injuries. The device allows people with disabilities to communicate and have some control over their surroundings.

The Selectively Lockable Knee Brace allows for a full range of movement of the knee. Previous knee braces on the market locked the knee in a rigid, straight-leg position. The MSFC-developed knee brace utilizes mechanical actuator technology used in steering spacecraft and can be used to help patients who have a loss of muscle control from the thigh down. The brace may be used when a patient recovering from a knee injury needs to use the knee, but the knee cannot carry the patient’s full weight.

The Harshberger Prosthetic & Orthotic Center applied NASA technology to manufacture its orthopedic appliances, such as artificial limbs. The company replaced plaster and cornstarch materials used to produce prosthetic plaster molds with the foam insulation system used to protect the space shuttle external tank from excessive heat.

The study of pain palliation for the terminally ill determined the effect of patient-friendly telemedicine technology on underserved uptown Manhattan minority communities of Harlem, Washington Heights and Inwood. The research program involves a partnership between North General Hospital, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center, the New York Visiting Nurse Service and the Center for Technology Commercialization, Inc. (NASA’s Northeast RTTC). The study is being funded through a grant from the Department of Commerce, with matching funds from the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone Development Corporation. The technology focus of the program involves a consumer-friendly telephone-and television-based system developed in Canada. The work will utilize some NASA-developed telemedicine technologies as well, principally those of CyberMDx of Houston, Texas. Twenty-five telemedicine modules and the accompanying hardware (for remotely measuring blood pressure, temperature, weight, blood glucose, EKG, etc.) will be installed in the homes of terminally ill cancer, AIDS, congestive heart disease, pulmonary disease and diabetic patients to improve medical care and control pain. Over the course of the two-year study, the participation of a total of about 300 patients in the test and control groups is anticipated.

Harshberger Prosthetic & Orthotic Center, Inc. in Birmingham, Alabama uses the same foam insulation system utilized to protect the space shuttle external tank from excessive heat to produce prosthetic master molds. The more efficient foam insulation has replaced the plaster and corn starch materials previously used.

The advanced eye tracker systems allow people with disabilities to communicate and have some control over their surroundings. The Eyegaze system is currently being manufactured by LC Technologies, Inc. of Fairfax, Virginia. The technology incorporates the latest JPL-developed technological enhancements and is used primarily by people with severe spinal injuries and those with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). The device works by mounting a small video camera under a computer monitor to look at the user’s eye. The user looks at points on the computer monitor to cue the camera, which records the reflection of light from the eye and derives the gaze direction that then guides the cursor. In addition, it is being used to provide access to PCs for communication. The user can type a message for e-mail or make a phone call using dialer software and a voice synthesizer to speak for them. The technology allows access to games and screens for the operation of control devices, and users to regulate lights and the temperature of the surroundings, as well as operating audio and TV equipment.

The robotic stepper is designed to become the basis of a rehabilitation approach that can potentially help people wheelchair-bound take their first steps. The stepper looks like a standard treadmill with robotic arms attached to the front. The treadmill is used in conjunction with a suspension harness that is used to variably support the patient’s weight while walking on the treadmill. In addition, the device takes precise force, torque, acceleration and resistance measurements of the patient’s movements, assessing each step the patient takes on the treadmill.

Many NASA technologies can be used to improve quality of life and provide assistance. Scientists and researchers at the 10 field centers have developed technologies on a case-by-case basis for individuals with disabilities.

“There are many reasons NASA researchers are working to develop these technologies,”Pappano said. “Most believe that applying their skills and technology to help people with disabilities is the right thing to do.”

For more information, contact Merle Mckenzie at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, merle.mckenzie@jpl.nasa.gov. Please mention you read about it in Innovation.

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