Description: This proposal from Buendea and University of Central Florida leverages XR to address known physical and mental health risks associated with long-distance and long-duration human missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. For these missions, communications delays or disruption could have a devastating effect in treatments for crew members who encounter traumatic injuries, chronic pains, infections, or mental health crises. Even if a physician is selected for a mission, it is unlikely that they will have the breadth of training to address every possible condition that could afflict their crewmates. For Phase I, this proposal will demonstrate the technical feasibility for in-flight usage of XR technologies to address physical, mental, and nutritional health concerns for long duration and long distance human space travel. This proposal will focus on developing a spatial health application using real-time rendering solutions to enable its use in both XR virtual environments and support for passthrough integration to demonstrate its use in the real-world. Use case number 1 includes a comprehensive imaging, diagnostic, and treatment interface using assumed onboard equipment, materials, and medications to treat injuries, dental emergencies, and other physical ailments. Use case number 2 employs emerging AI applications for continuous in-flight mental health treatment. Use case number 3 identifies an innovative onboard XR platform to improve nutrition and relieve menu fatigue, which is a known contributor to mental health among astronauts. Use case number 4 will address using resistance devices with augmented displays that help improve physical training performance. Each use case will demonstrate integrated spatial application for use in multi-user Lunar and Mars environments and will be based off of real life procedures developed in collaboration with medical professionals in their respective fields.

Benefits: Medical Emergency Response for Long Duration Missions: The AI support system provides real-time diagnostic assistance for treating sick, injured, or incapacitated crew members during long-duration missions, ensuring prompt and accurate medical responses. Training and Skill Enhancement: Crew members can utilize the XR application for training purposes, practicing diagnostics and medical procedures on virtual human models, thereby enhancing their medical skills and preparedness for emergencies. Integration of Multimodal Technologies: By integrating XR technology with AI-powered diagnostics and spatial GUI, crew members can effectively navigate through medical procedures, aided by real-time guidance and feedback. Remote Medical Consultation: The system enables remote medical consultation by streaming relevant data from the session to Earth-based medical professionals, facilitating timely diagnosis and treatment decisions for astronauts in space. Utilization of Onboard Medical Equipment: Leveraging standard medical supplies and handheld devices such as X-Ray and ultrasound machines, crew members can perform medical examinations and procedures with the support of the AI system. XR Procedures for Astronaut Health: XR procedures simulate medical scenarios where crew members must perform ultrasounds to identify potential health issues, ranging from musculoskeletal injuries to cardiovascular problems, aiding in early detection and intervention. Contextual Diagnostic Evaluation: Crew members can perform diagnostics using contextual information and query the AI model for potential causes of symptoms, facilitating comprehensive evaluations and treatment planning. Mental Health Support: The XR Health application provides continuous mental health support, monitoring astronauts' well-being and offering interventions based on biometric data and interactions, crucial for missions with communication delays or interruptions.Injury and Infection Diagnostics and Treatment A 2020 study published by Nature Medicine indicates that a startling number of Earth's populations live in remote areas that require a day or more of motorized travel to access healthcare facilities. Hand-held medical imaging devices are readily available on the market today, and the proposed XR integration with these devices could lead to life-saving advancements for these remote communities. Buendea's Injury and Infection Diagnostics Treatment platform could supplement agencies like Doctors without Borders or Global Dental Relief by providing immediate options for Spacial Virtual Mental Health Virtual mental health is on the rise, as evidenced by Betterhelp's reported 60% increase in its user base during the Covid-19 pandemic. The psychology community recognizes the potential for AI in mental health, further acknowledging that a global lack of providers may make it a necessity in the future. Early research suggests that therapeutic chatbots can make therapy more affordable and accessible, but AI tools used in healthcare have been observed to discriminate against patients based on race and disability status, and have spread misinformation and harassed patients. Buendea's proposed XR-based Spatial Virtual Mental Health application could serve as a proof of concept in the psychology community, who, in a 2023 American Psychological Association article, say that investments should be made now to allow psychologists and AI developers to work together. CHEF Households across the world are embracing meal kit services to take the guesswork out of menu planning and relieve busy professionals and busy parents. While convenient, the system is cost-prohibitive for much of the working class and the packaging involved adds to environmental concerns. CHEF has the power to be a market disrupter, allowing households to purchase bulk goods in fortified or dehydrated forms supplemented with locally sourced fresh produce and meats.