Equivital is going undersea with Nasa’s NEEMO 21 aquanaut crew in its latest mission to the Aquarius laboratory in the Florida Keys

Equivital™ has been selected to monitor the vital signs of aquanaut crew in NASA’s latest mission to the Aquarius undersea laboratory in the Florida Keys.

NASA use the Aquarius laboratory to prepare astronauts for the extreme environment of space. The mission named NEEMO 21 (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) allows the crew to live at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, 62 feet deep (19 meters) to evaluate tools and techniques for future space exploration. Spacecraft conditions are simulated within the lab and in the ocean where simulated spacewalks take place.

Thanks to its ability to perform in extreme environments, including the edge of space when Felix Baumgartner made his supersonic skydive, the LifeMonitor™, a body worn sensor, will record multiparameter physiological data from the crew. The data will be analysed in Aquarius by an AirDocs physician, the chosen medical team for this mission.

Dr. Marc Ó Gríofa, an AirDocs Flight Surgeon and crew member on the mission states, `The Equivital LifeMonitor will provide the AirDocs team with invaluable data on the changes in Aquanaut crew health as a result of living in the undersea operational environment.

Dr. Marc Ó Gríofa, AirDocs Flight Surgeon

The LifeMonitor provides clinical grade vital signs data even when operating in extreme environments.  It is already used by the military, first responders and for sports and medical research.

Anmol Sood, CEO of Equivital, said `We are excited to work with the NEEMO team to monitor the effects of living in an extreme environment on the human body. The LifeMonitor has already been tested in the extreme environment of the edge of space so to be able to work with NASA and the AirDocs team in preparation for future space missions is an honour.

Anmol Sood, Equivital CEO