As part of the IGNIS mission, scientists will test a device for controlling a computer using the brain

A device for controlling a computer using brain activity will be tested on the International Space Station. Scientists will examine how microgravity affects blood flow in astronauts' brains and human-machine communication.

"PhotonGrav" will be one of 13 experiments as part of the Polish technological and scientific mission IGNIS to the International Space Station (ISS). It will be conducted by Dr. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, a Polish project astronaut of the European Space Agency (ESA). The Ax-4 mission is scheduled to launch on May 29.

As Dr. Dariusz Zapała, the head of the "PhotonGrav" project and the scientific director of the Cortivision company, told PAP, his company produces portable devices for recording brain activity for research purposes. "Our devices are primarily used to conduct research in non-laboratory conditions. We test this equipment in many extreme conditions," explained the psychologist, who professionally dealt with, among other things, brain-computer communication.

The device has already been used to record the work of astronauts' brains during the Ax-2 mission in 2023 and Ax-3 in 2024. "When the opportunity arose to report our own experiments on the occasion of the Polish IGNIS mission, we decided to propose research on the possibility of using this technology in space conditions for communication. We will check how non-muscular control of the application works in microgravity conditions," said Dr. Zapała.

He explained that the device records the astronaut's brain activity, and machine learning algorithms - artificial intelligence - recognize different patterns of brain activity. These patterns can be assigned to different states - increased mental load and relaxation. The subject achieves increased brain activity by mentally multiplying two-digit numbers, and a state of rest - by avoiding intense thoughts.

"AI tries to automatically recognize whether the astronaut is relaxed or whether his mind is burdened by performing some activity. And this allows it to control the computer application," the scientist explained.

He specified that the device records the blood supply to individual brain areas and their demand for oxygen – and the more intensively a given part of the brain works, the greater the demand. The device resembles an EEG, or electroencephalograph. On the head of the person being examined, there are emitters that send infrared light towards the brain, and detectors that receive this light when it returns to the surface of the head.

"When light passes through the individual layers of skin, bones, and finally brain tissue, the blood flowing through the brain partially scatters this light. Therefore, only part of it returns to the surface of the head, where the detectors are located. Knowing the properties of the light sent towards the brain and the results recorded by the detectors, we can say whether a given area of ​​the brain uses more or less oxygen," described the project manager.

He added that the information reaches an amplifier mounted on the subject's forearm, and the amplifier sends the processed signal to an application on the computer via Bluetooth. During the experiment, the astronaut learns to control the application installed on the computer: using only the work of the brain, he must direct the strip moving on the screen in the right direction.

The tests on the Ax-4 crew members, including Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, will be performed three times: before the flight (some of them have already been performed), during the stay in orbit and after the return. The authors of the experiment will check how the results of work with the equipment differ in earthly and space conditions.

As the psychologist noted, the solution developed by his team may be useful in the future in space and on Earth: "It can be used in extreme situations, when there is no medical personnel nearby, movements are difficult or when monitoring brain activity is important for safety reasons. This could be an orbital station or a spacecraft, and on Earth - isolated mountain trails, Arctic bases or drilling platforms, i.e. all places where other devices for recording brain activity cannot be used. Our device may also be useful in cases where the health condition does not allow full muscle control - for example during rehabilitation after injuries."

He added that conducting the study in space is important because blood flow can change in microgravity conditions, which in turn can disrupt the signal received by the device.

"Only in orbit can we study how the human body and equipment behave in microgravity for a longer period of time. On Earth, weightlessness can be achieved for a maximum of several dozen seconds," concluded Dr. Dariusz Zapała.

The Ax-4 mission crew consists of: Peggy Whitson (USA) – commander; Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland/ESA) – specialist; Shubhanshu Shukla (India) – pilot and Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – specialist. The astronauts are to spend 14 days on the ISS.

This will be another commercial manned expedition carried out by Axiom Space. The participation of a Pole in the mission is the result of an agreement signed between the Ministry of Development and Technology and ESA for the preparation and conduct of the Polish scientific and technological mission IGNIS to the ISS. The Polish Space Agency (POLSA) is also involved in the preparations as an executive agency of the Ministry of Development and Technology.

Dr. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski will be the second Pole in space.

Science in Poland, Anna Bugajska (PAP)

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