The problem we have been investigating is the development of mental disorders in astronauts. There has been a high incidence of psychological and psychiatric disorders among astronauts on the space station and also after their return to Earth.

Similar mental disorders were found in people in solitary confinement - prisoners, submarines, or people embarking on long exploration expeditions in Antarctica.

We also found that all sensory systems are impaired: vision, hearing, smell, taste, touch, vestibular system (= sense of balance and spatial orientation for the purpose of coordinating movement with balance), and proprioceptive system (=the sense of the relative position of one's own parts of the body and strength of effort being employed in movement).  The senses were dulled due both to the lack of gravitational conditions and to the lack of stimuli in the environment.

We have demonstrated the connection between dulling of the senses and the development of mental disorders.

 

Hence the idea - if we stimulate the various senses of the person on a regular basis, in a pleasant and meaningful way, we can possibly reduce or prevent the development of mental disorders, both on the mission and after the mission is complete.

 

The question of our research is: Can we reduce the development of mental disorders caused by the dullness of senses in humans in their long journey into space?

 

The "Harmony Sensuit" system provides a complete experience for the isolated person. The experience includes significant and pleasant experiences that stimulate the sensory systems.

 

The system includes a smart suit (fully integrated smart clothing apparel with Haptic Feedback, Motion Capture, Climate Control and Biometric Feedback systems), virtual reality glasses, odor dispensing system, and a 360 degree treadmill. All of these will work together, programmed for a significant story which is adapted to the specific astronaut.

 

 

 

Details of the technical components of the solution

 

Our product will consist of several parts. A "smart" suit, VR glasses, a headset, a 360-degree treadmill, a scent synthesizer, and custom software.

 

The “smart” suit

The suite has a bi-directional feedback system: It converts touch sensations from the VR world into electrical pulses, which then give a sense of touch in the person. When the system is used along with the temperature system, the user can get a more accurate/realistic sense of touch.

 

Movement reception system

Takes the user’s movements and converts it to the VR world.  Example uses of software like Unity, Unreal, and Motion Builder  

 

Movement transmission system

The suit can make a person pick things up without the astronauts acting on their own.  It can cause the muscles to contract and relax. When the suit does this, the person will experience strength training.

 

Temperature (Heat and Cold)

The system causes sensations of heat and cold according to the program 

 

Biometric System

Acquires biometric information from the body, which can allow for machine learning that can help user adjust the program and to track the user’s vitals.

 

VR Glasses

VR glasses that support 8K quality

 

Headset

7.1-surround sound level headphones

 

The 360-degree treadmill

A 360 degree sliding floor allows realistic natural movement.  It has sensors to give feedback into the VR software on movement: Speed and direction.  It holds the user’s upper body so that zero-gravity is not a problem.

The treadmill is suitable for training (running), games, etc.

 

Scent Synthesizer

The Scent Synthesizer releases a combination of a number of fragrances, in order to create a desired aroma close to the user's nose. The smell is minimal so it does not reach the rest of the team.

 

Custom Software

The software will be customized to each of the astronauts by collecting experiences in advance by the astronauts.  This can include favorite places, family/friends, and others. In the future, with development in higher speed internet access with smaller delays, it will be possible to extend this to be even more interactive and immersive.

 

Development Cost

In order to understand the total cost, we have researched the various aspects of the system, including power consumption, weight, volume, hardware costs, and software costs.  Our conclusions are that the main costs can be split to 3 parts: Hardware, Software, and Delivery to space. Volume and power consumption were negligible. The estimation we came up with are:

 

Hardware: Full solution running around $7,000.  This includes everything but for the Scent Synthesizer, which is not an off-the-shelf product.  There is also a negligible cost of a few thousand dollars per person of personal suit, shoes, VR glasses, and headset.

 

Software: We were not able to get clear estimates of cost.  However, due to the personalized nature of the program, and the need of the program to connect all of the different hardware components (which is not developed today), we are expecting a cost of a few million dollars for the development.

 

Delivery to space: We have found that it costs approximately $10,000 per pound to get to the ISS.  Given the weight of the various components, we have estimated $2,000,000 for the delivery.

 

We estimate that the development of the system is expensive, but once the space agencies open it to others, the Total Cost will reduce, as cost of the development will be extended to patients in prolonged isolation, researchers in polar expeditions, submarine crews, people whose sensory systems are damaged, and others.

 

In addition, it is important to verify that all of the components of the system are very reliable and need low maintenance.  Reliability and low maintenance are critical in space, as switching parts or repair is extremely expensive.

 

Conclusions

Mental health of astronauts is a very critical topic.  There is a huge financial and social investment in these people.  Their mental health is critical for the success of the mission, the safety of the crew and equipment, and also their lives after the mission is done.

 

Given the large financial investment, we believe that the cost of the solution is negligible.  There is already work being done to help the problems, like video conferences with psychologists once a week, or programs with artificial intelligence which are meant to be “virtual psychologists”.

 

We believe that since none of these solutions target the dulling of the senses and the effect of this on their mental health, they have not yet succeeded in solving the problem.  We believe that with this solution added, it will start to deal more holistically with the people involved, both physically and psychologically.