NASA and Google have collaborated to create an AI-powered medical assistant called the Crew Medical Officer Digital Assistant (CMO-DA) aimed at supporting astronauts on long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. This AI tool is designed to autonomously diagnose and treat health issues during space missions when communication delays with Earth make real-time consultation with medical teams impossible.
The collaboration addresses a critical challenge for deep-space missions: communication delays can extend up to 45 minutes round-trip to Mars, and a quick return to Earth during a medical emergency is not an option. The CMO-DA assists astronauts by providing real-time medical analysis, symptom diagnosis, and treatment recommendations based on a vast database of spaceflight medical literature and real-time onboard data. Its multi-modal interface supports interaction via speech, text, and images, making it user-friendly in the space environment.
Early testing of the AI assistant involved simulated medical scenarios such as ankle injuries, flank pain, and ear pain. Evaluations by a panel of physicians and an astronaut showed diagnostic accuracy rates ranging from 74 percent to 88 percent, highlighting the assistant’s reliability. The AI also supports flight surgeons on Earth by delivering predictive analytics and detailed data to enhance decision-making when consultation is possible.
Read more: First Saudi satellite for space climate set to launch under Artemis II mission with NASA
Continuous testing refines AI assistant
The project is part of NASA’s Artemis program that aims to return humans to the Moon and prepare for Mars missions, marking a shift toward greater medical self-sufficiency for astronauts. By integrating advanced natural language processing, machine learning, and cloud computing, the AI assistant ensures crew health can be managed autonomously when Earth-based aid is delayed or unavailable.
This AI medical assistant represents a significant innovation not only for space exploration but also has potential benefits for remote healthcare on Earth. The system’s ability to operate independently makes it a critical tool for future interplanetary missions while pushing forward AI applications in healthcare technology.
NASA retains ownership of the source code, and Google provides the technological framework using its Vertex AI platform. The ongoing collaboration continues to refine and enhance the assistant’s capabilities based on medical expert feedback and further testing in space-like environments.
