A recent breakthrough in flexible wearable technologies is reshaping how astronauts' health is monitored during space missions.
The effects of microgravity on an astronaut's musculoskeletal system. Image Credit: Yi Wang, et al.
A new review published in Wearable Electronics explores the current applications and ongoing challenges of these systems in aerospace medicine. As human space exploration moves toward longer-duration missions, the need for real-time monitoring of astronauts’ physical and psychological health is becoming increasingly important. The space environment—marked by microgravity, sustained radiation exposure, and extreme temperature fluctuations—introduces a range of complex health risks for crew members.
Flexible wearable systems, outfitted with multimodal sensor arrays, offer continuous and comprehensive health monitoring. These integrated platforms often include inertial measurement units, biosignal electrodes, and environmental sensors. They've proven especially valuable for early detection of anomalies in cardiopulmonary function, neuromuscular performance, and circadian rhythm regulation—enabling timely, personalized countermeasures.
Still, despite progress in materials science and miniaturized electronics, three major technical challenges remain:
- Ensuring device reliability under the combined stresses of space,
- Establishing secure data management protocols that address privacy concerns in confined spacecraft environments, and
- Overcoming difficulties in multi-parametric data fusion, particularly the temporal and spatial alignment of diverse biosignals.
Looking ahead, future research in flexible wearable devices for astronaut health will hinge on several key areas and the strength of interdisciplinary collaboration. Priority areas include advanced materials science, next-generation sensors, intelligent algorithms, improved data processing, and tighter system integration. Notably, continued innovation in materials, smarter software, and a focus on user experience will be essential to refining these technologies. As flexible electronics mature, they’re expected to play an increasingly important role in supporting astronaut health and furthering the goals of human space exploration.
Journal Reference:
Wang, Y., et al. (2025) Flexible wearable device applications for monitoring astronaut health: Current status and challenges. Wearable Electronics. doi.org/10.1016/j.wees.2024.12.007