Medical
- Light Emitting Diodes
- ER Infrared Ear Thermometers
- Automatic Insulin Pumps
- Artificial Limbs
- Clean Room Apparel
- Precision Dialysis Pumps & Filters
- Invisible Braces
- Diamond Coatings: Artifical Hip Joints
- Corneal Refractive Therapy
- Dental Waterline Purification Cartridge
- Ventricular Assist Device
- Gait Analysis System
Medical
Light Emitting Diodes
Red light-emitting diodes are growing plants in space and healing humans on Earth. The red light-emitting diode (LED) technology used for NASA Space Shuttle plant growth experiments have contributed to the development of medical devices such as the WARP 10, a high-intensity, hand-held, portable LED unit intended for the temporary relief of minor muscle and joint pain, arthritis, stiffness, and muscle spasms which also promotes relaxation of muscle tissue and increases local blood circulation without noticeable heat or the harmful effects of ultraviolet solar radiation. The device is currently being used by the Department of Defense and US Navy, as a non-intravenous “soldier self care” device that aids front-line armed forces with immediate first aid care for minor injuries and pain, thereby improving endurance in combat.
Medical
ER Infrared Ear Thermometers
The Diatek Model 7000 Aural Thermometer, weighing only eight ounces and measuring temperature in less than two seconds, was developed to reduce nursing time. In the U.S. alone, some two billion clinical temperature readings are taken annually, about half of them in acute care hospital facilities. Due to a national shortage of nursing personnel, there was a need to reduce nursing time by providing a faster thermometer. The development was undertaken by Diatek Corporation, a world leader in electronic thermometry, and supported by NASA’s Technology Affiliates Program, who sought to improve the competitiveness of American industries by facilitating the transfer of government-developed technology to the private sector.
Medical
Automatic Insulin Pumps
Diabetics need no longer be concerned with scheduling activities around peaking insulin levels with the use of the external MiniMed 504 Insulin Infusion pump from Pacesetter Systems, Inc. which utilizes NASA’s space-derived microminiaturization techniques - delivers insulin continuously at a preprogrammed, individually-adjusted rate. The pump wearer can lead a more normal existence; even participate in sports or travel. There is an even greater benefit: research indicates that infusion of “short-acting” insulin in tiny amounts over a long period-instead of multiple daily injections of “long-acting” insulin-has helped many diabetics achieve better control of blood sugar levels, thereby minimizing the possibility of complications and in some cases even halting the progression of complications.
Medical
Artificial Limbs
NASA’s continued funding, coupled with its collective innovations in robotics and shock-absorption/comfort materials are inspiring and enabling the private-sector to create new and better solutions for animal and human prostheses. Advancements such as Environmental Robots, Inc.’s development of artificial muscle systems with robotic sensing and actuation capabilities for use in NASA space robotic and extravehicular activities are being adapted to create more functionally dynamic artificial limbs. Additionally, other private-sector adaptations of NASA’s Temper foam technology have brought about custom-moldable materials offering the natural look and feel of flesh, as well as preventing skin-prosthesis friction between the skin and the prosthesis, and heat/moisture buildup. Diamond coatings are also increasing the strength on artificial joints.
Medical
Clean Room Apparel
American Hospital Supply Corporation (AHSC) utilized data from contamination control technology research spearheaded by NASA - originally developed by NASA contractors to protect delicate instrumentation and sensitive electronic space systems highly susceptible to breakdown through contamination - to improve contamination control technology in apparel used in industrial and medical environments. When a study determined that microscopic body particles escaping through tiny “windows” in woven garments worn by workers were the greatest source of contamination, AHSC developed TYVEK. This non-woven material filters 99 percent of all particulate matter larger than half a micron. Baxter Healthcare added a polyimide coating and minimized stress points to seal and secure loose fibers and provide almost tear-proof durability. Tyvek technology is also widely used for exterior home insulation.
Medical
Precision Dialysis Pumps & Filters
Organon Teknika Corporation’s REDY 2000 dialysis machine employs technology originally developed under NASA contract by Marquardt Corporation. During the chemical process, it was discovered that the project could be used to remove toxic waste from used dialysis fluid. This discovery led to the development of a kidney dialysis machine using “sorbent” dialysis, a method of removing urea from human blood by treating a dialysate solution. The process saves electricity and because the need for a continuous water supply is eliminated, the patient has greater freedom.
Medical
Invisible Braces
Claimed by its developers as the most successful orthodontic product introduction in history, translucent polycrystalline alumina (TPA) was developed by Ceradyne, Inc. and Unitek/3M with the assistance of the NASA Industrial Application Center, University of Southern California (NIACIUSC). The product, Transcend, was created to meet a need for an orthodontic appliance that was aesthetically appealing yet as clinically effective as plastic or metal braces. Transcend brackets - designed for each tooth and connected by a thin metal wire - are made of a very hard, shatter-resistant alumina with high strength and maximum translucency which allows light to pass through the ceramic material to the tooth, thereby causing the bracket to appear tooth-colored. The brackets do not stain, discolor, deform, or bend.
Medical
Diamond Coatings: Artifical Hip Joints
The process of applying a thin film of diamond-like carbon (DLC) - currently being researched and developed by private-sector companies utilizing NASA technology for depositing DLC on various substrates - bring huge potential for both medical and industrial applications. Coatings made from incredibly tiny diamonds are a low-cost innovative solution that could help artificial hip joints work better and last longer. Currently, the most durable implants are made of stainless steel or titanium, and friction from daily use can loosen or wear them down after only about ten years, causing pain, infection, and finally, crumbling implants. The goal is to some day prevent active persons with implants from having to endure additional surgeries to replace them as they wear out.
Medical
Corneal Refractive Therapy
With the ability to perform plastics research on the Space Shuttle, without the effects of gravity, NASA and Paragon Vision Sciences, Inc. scientists participated in a research project to perfect a process for developing contact lenses by increasing their knowledge of the way plastics molecules used in contact lenses form. Paragon’s innovative hyper-purified delivery system (HDSR) contact lenses - based on the unique technological advancements derived from the NASA experiments - are resistant from deposits and less likely than soft contact lenses to harbor bacteria. The rigidity of these lenses makes them easier to handle than soft lenses, and they retain their shape over time enhancing one’s vision. Paragon additionally leveraged what it learned to invent a revolutionary contact lens made from HDS materials that non-surgically reshapes the cornea during sleep.
Medical
Dental Waterline Purification Cartridge
Under contract with NASA, Umpqua Research developed the microbial check valve (MCV), a device that uses a flow-through cartridge containing iodinated ion exchange resin to prevent back contamination of a drinking water supply by microorganisms. While NASA adopted the technology as the preferred means of drinking water disinfection aboard U.S. spacecraft, MRLB International, Inc. used the technology to develop the Dentapure purification cartridge which is used by dentists nationwide. The Dentapure unit, crafted to remove or destroy bacteria, installs in seconds, cleans and decontaminates water as a link between the filter and dental instrument and can be used up to a week before cleaning. This technology is ideal for societies that lack the infrastructure necessary for chlorination. No energy is required. The cartridge may simply be installed in line with the drinking water flow.
Medical
Ventricular Assist Device
Collaboration between NASA, Dr. Michael DeBakey, Dr. George Noon, and MicroMed Technology, Inc., resulted in a lifesaving heart pump for over one million patients awaiting heart transplants. The MicroMed DeBakey ventricular assist device (VAD) functions as a “bridge to heart transplant” by pumping blood throughout the body to keep critically ill patients alive until a donor heart is available. Weighing less than 4 ounces and measuring 1 inch by 3 inches, the pump is approximately one-tenth the size of other currently marketed pulsatile VADs. This makes it less invasive and ideal for smaller adults and children. Because of the pump’s small size, less than 5 percent of the patients implanted developed device-related infections. It can operate up to 8 hours on batteries, giving patients the mobility to do normal, everyday activities.
Medical
Gait Analysis System
The technology originally created for use in sounding rocket assemblies and robotics, when incorporated into a walker that supported the pelvis, licensed and commercialized for medical purposes enabled Enduro Medical Technology to introduce the Secure Ambulation Module (S.A.M.) to the health care industry in March 2003. The company enhanced the NASA technology by incorporating the linear actuators and developing the adjustable patient harness system. Physical therapists and other health pros use S.A.M. to treat patients recovering from traumatic brain injury, stroke, spinal cord injury, and hip or knee replacement, as well as patients living with severe arthritis, cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, Lou Gehrig’s disease, and Parkinson’s disease.
