Eustace, John G.

Hussey, Sam W.

Savina, Mark C.

Thompson, William K.

Wall, Kieran

Zoldak, John T.

NASA Technical Reports Server

Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 1 
 
“Flexible Ultrasound System (FUS) for Exploration and Human Research” 
 
Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) Imaging Integration 
William K. Thompson/NASA-GRC (Imaging Integration Task Lead) 
Kieran Wall/GE Global Research Center (PI and Project Lead) 
John T. Zoldak/ZIN Technologies (FUS Contract Technical Lead) 
John G. Eustace, Mark C. Savina/ZIN Technologies  
Sam W. Hussey/NASA-GRC (Project Manager) 
 
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20150010331 2019-08-31T08:05:11+00:00Z
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 2 
FUS Background 
• Exploration Medical Capability (ExMC) owns this 
HRP risk:  
• “Risk of Unacceptable Health and Mission Outcomes 
Due to Limitations of In-flight Medical Capabilities” 
 
• GRC Imaging Integration Team owns this gap: 
• ExMC Gap 4.02  “We do not have fully-sufficient 
non-invasive diagnostic imaging capability and 
techniques to diagnose conditions on the Space 
Medicine Exploration Medical Condition List4” 
 
 
• Flexible ultrasound is an opportunity to help address additional gaps :  
• ExMC Gap 4.13  Renal stone diagnosis and treatment 
• ExMC Gap 4.06  Bone fracture treatment 
• HHC Gap Osteo3:  Fracture risk assessment due to osteoporosis 
• HHC Gap B10: Bone health monitoring 
• HHC Gap CV1: Cardiac structure and function monitoring 
• HHC Gap VIIP3: Intracranial pressure monitoring, related to the VIIP* syndrome.  
• * VIIP = Visual Impairment Intracranial Pressure 
 
Astronaut André Kuipers images his own eye 
with Ultrasound-2 on the ISS. 
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 3 
 
Software-based ultrasound 
 
 
 
 
• Ultrasound will remain NASA’s primary “workhorse” modality for internal imaging 
 
• The industry trend toward software-based systems offers numerous advantages to NASA. 
 
• Greater user flexibility 
• Customized beam forming 
• Targeted receiving and processing techniques 
• Access to the raw ultrasound data set 
• Advanced algorithm development on an ultrasound platform  
 
• Accommodate novel probe designs 
 
• Possibly more radiation tolerant design6 
• More functionality is implemented in the more generic back-end processor 
• Can leverage flight-qualified processor designs developed for Exploration 
• Easier to meet deep space environments, especially radiation, when there is 
less custom hardware that is peculiar to the ultrasound system 
 
• The Flexible Ultrasound System (FUS) ground demonstration unit (GDU) development is 
NASA’s effort to begin taking advantage of this new technology. 
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 4 
Flexible Ultrasound System (FUS) 
What problems does the project want to solve or address? 
 
1. How can we improve the clinical diagnostic capability of 
Ultrasound-2? 
 
2. How can we accommodate therapeutic or non-imaging 
applications of ultrasound that have been developed by NASA or 
NSBRI-funded research? 
 
3. How can we confidently design an ultrasound unit to survive the 
high ionizing radiation levels of  low-earth orbit and (especially) 
deep space? 
 
4. How can we enable ultrasound to communicate with other 
devices as part of an integrated medical system (e.g., EMSD) that a 
minimally trained crew can operate? 
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 5 
2012 Accomplishments/Current Status 
• The Imaging Integration team at GRC recently initiated a successful 
procurement effort via an RFP to develop a Flexible Ultrasound System 
(FUS) ground demonstration unit (GDU). 
• ConOps and System Requirements Document (SRD) approved by ExMC Advisory Board 
in early 2012 
• Market survey and two sources sought solicitations (SSS) preceded the RFP release 
• Three companies expressed interest in the SSS’s 
• GE Global Research Center 
• Verasonics 
• Ultrasonix 
• The first two vendors submitted proposals to the Statement of Work (SOW) in the RFP. 
• GE Global Research Center was selected in Autumn 2012 
• Contract award: Final signatures on February 4, 2013 
• All requirements should be met by the FUS design 
 
 
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 6 
FUS Ground Demo Unit Overview 
“High-level” 
Research 
Application 
(e.g. Matlab) 
Research User 
Hardware 
Clinical 
Software 
Clinical User 
“Low-level” 
Research 
Application 
(e.g. C++) 
SDK Modified 
Research 
Application 
Research
Software 
I
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t
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f
a
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e 
Probes Kit ) ) 
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 7 
FUS Ground Demo Unit Capabilities 
Hardware 
• >= 12 bit Rx data 
• >= 0.2-15MHz Rx Center Freq 
• >= 128 Tx & Rx channels 
• >= 40MSps Rx data 
• Programmable Anti-aliasing filters 
 
Software 
• Traditional Clinical Mode 
• Research Mode 
• SDK 
Research Probes 
• M5S-D  (1.5-4.5MHz Phased) 
• 4C-D  (1.6-6MHz Convex) 
• 11L-D  (3-11MHz  Linear) 
• ML6-15-D  (4.5-15MHz Multi-row Linear) 
• Custom probe support 
Other 
• Channel data 
• Controllable transmit power 
• Trigger control 
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 8 
FUS Advanced Research Capabilities 
• High Power Transmit Module 
- Provides additional transmit 
power (>= 10W Acoustic Power) 
for high power tasks 
- High Duty Cycle (up to 50%) 
operations 
- Feedback power protections 
- Augmented thermal performance 
- Authenticated operation 
 
• Dual Probe Interface 
- Allow for multiple simultaneous 
probe connections 
- Half total channels available for 
transmit and receive on each 
probe  
- Multi-channel or single channel 
- Support for probe configuration 
 
 
 
Research Mode Use Model 
• Language Agnostic Interface 
– Abstracted configuration 
– Use the language of your 
choice  
(C++ and Matlab supported by SDK) 
– Familiar Windows development 
environment 
• Programmable Hardware Control: 
• Transmit Delays, Transmit 
Waveform, Scan Sequence, TGC, 
Filters, more 
 
• Hardware independent operation 
– Develop on a desktop 
independent of hardware 
(simulator mode) 
• Software Development Kit 
– Provided SDK expandable 
designs 
– Design quick-start  
– Example usage and 
implementation 
• Development Support 
– Manuals, Guides, Code 
Comments, and Technical 
Assistance 
 
How PI teams can develop applications on the Research Interface 
www.nasa.gov Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 9 
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 10 
Forward Work – Integration of PI Applications with FUS 
• Targeted ultrasound investigators 
• Quantitative Ultrasound (QUS) for bone health 
monitoring1 [SUNY Stony Brook] 
• Low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) for fracture 
healing2 [SUNY Stony Brook] 
• Wideband Single-crystal QUS probe5 [TRS Technologies] 
• Acoustic renal stone manipulation3 [U of WA] 
• Volumetric ophthalmic imaging to monitor intra-cranial 
pressure7 [GE-GRC] 
• Other NASA or NSBRI-funded researchers who can take 
advantage of the FUS capabilities 
 
• These techniques require  
• Support of novel probes (multiple probes) 
• Full control of beam-forming and power 
• Full access to the raw ultrasound data 
• High frequency range of operation (0.2 – 15.0 MHz) 
 
• With the contract now signed, we are ready to begin! 
QUS 2-probe configuration1 
Renal stone detection/manipulation3 
Wideband QUS probe5 
Ophthalmic 3DUS for ICP monitoring 
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 11 
Integration of Research Modalities on to FUS Platform 
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 12 
Summary of Key Points 
•  Expand the diagnostic capability of Ultrasound-2 
 
•  Advance the TRL of NASA and NSBRI-funded research 
utilizing ultrasound by providing an integrated development 
platform. 
• Therapeutic modes 
• Non-imaging modes 
 
•  First stepping stone toward eventually meeting deep space 
radiation environments on long-duration missions. 
 
•  Ground-based demonstration in 2015 with EMSD. 
 
•   Possible EMSD flight demonstration in 2016 or beyond (not 
yet funded). 
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 13 
Acknowledgements 
• This work is funded and enthusiastically supported by HRP’s ExMC Element 
• Tammie McGrath – Element Manager 
• Sharmila Watkins, M.D. - Element Scientist 
• Efforts at NASA Glenn are managed under GRC’s Human Research Program 
• Marsha Nall – Program Manager 
• Sam Hussey – Project Manager for ExMC Projects 
• FUS development is under contract with GE Global Research Center 
• Barb Grossmann – Business Manager 
• Kieran Wall – Technical Lead 
• Contract oversight and integration efforts are executed by ZIN Technologies 
• John Zoldak – ZIN Task lead 
• Special thanks to technical experts who have contributed their time and 
expertise toward this effort 
• Jean Sibonga, Ph.D. (JSC)   •   Yi-Xian Qin, Ph.D. (SUNY Stony Brook) 
• Michael Bailey, Ph.D. (Univ. of Wash.)  •   Lawrence Crum, Ph.D. (Univ. of Wash.) 
• Ashot Sargsyan, M.D. (Wyle)   •   Kat Garcia (Wyle) 
• Michael Phelan, M.D. (CCF)   •   Shannon Melton (Wyle) 
• Aaron Dentinger, Ph.D. (GE-GRC)    •   Raffi Sahul (TRS Technologies) 
 
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 14 
Thank you! 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Questions? 
Flexible Ultrasound System - HRP Investigator’s Workshop 2013 www.nasa.gov 15 
References 
1. Qin, Y-X. , Lin W., Xia, Y., Mittra, E., Rubin, C., Müller, R. (2007): Non-invasive bone 
quality assessment using quantitative ultrasound imaging and acoustic 
parameters. In “Advanced Bioimaging Technologies in Assessment of the Quality of 
Bone and Scaffold Materials,” edited by L. Qin and H. Genant. Springer, ISBN: 
9783540454540. 
2. Kaplan, T., Saldanha, A., and Qin, Y-X. (2002): Trabecular bone formation induced 
by high frequency, low intensity oscillatory intramedullary pressure stimulation. 
IEEE Eng Med Biol/Ann Biomed Eng Conference, p160. 
3. Shah A, Owen NR, Lu W, Cunitz BW, Kaczkowski PJ, Harper JD, Bailey MR, Crum LA. 
Novel ultrasound method to reposition kidney stones. Urol Res. 2010 Oct 22. 
4. Space Medicine Exploration Medical Condition List, Rev. A, NASA Document JSC-
65722, March 2011. 
5. Dunkin B, Snook K, Wideband Single Crystal Transducer for Bone Characterization, 
SBIR Phase I Final Report, September 2011, 
6. O’Neill P, The Natural Ionizing Space Radiation Environment, NASA/JSC Short 
Course, June 2011. 
7. Dentinger A, Patwardhan K, Melton S, Ebert D, Garcia K, and Sargsyan A, 
Volumetric Ultrasound for Inflight Ophthalmic Scanning and Tracking ICP Changes, 
HRP Investigators Workshop 2013.  


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