It seems that the gap between science fiction and reality is closing faster than many people would think. This time, a medical device that resembles a Star Trek gadget will probably bring a lot of joy to the lives of the people who really hate hospitals and especially needles.

The Venus prototype is a noninvasive, needle free system that uses light to measure tissue oxygen and pH. It is currently being developed by Dr. Babs Soller for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) for use by NASA astronauts and it will soon be an alternative to the painful use of needles to draw blood and the cumbersome equipment used to determine metabolic rate.

Venus is comprised of two parts, a sensor that is placed directly on the skin and a wearable monitor. The four-inch by two-inch sensor works by using infrared light, that is just beyond the visible spectrum, in order to take the measurements. Then, the monitor analyses the light that is reflected back and determines blood and tissue chemistry, metabolic rate (oxygen consumption) and other parameters.

"Tissue and blood chemistry measurements can be used in medical care to assess patients with traumatic injuries and those at risk for cardiovascular collapse," said Soller, who leads NSBRI's Smart Medical Systems and Technology team. "The measurement of metabolic rate will let astronauts know how quickly they are using up the oxygen in their life-support backpacks. If spacewalking astronauts run low on oxygen, the situation can become fatal."

Venus' advantages are obvious. Besides being a pain free process, a noninvasive system can also reduce the risk of infection due to the lack of needle pricks. The measurements are not impacted by skin color or body fat, so it can be used by everyone.

Although it is mainly intended for space use, it will probably have many applications for health care and athletic training. However, the patient treated by emergency personnel on ambulances or the battlefields could benefit the most from this technology.

Currently, Doctor Soller and her collaborators are still working on improving the prototype. Mainly, they prepare the sensor for integration into spacesuits by reducing its size, increasing its accuracy and developing the capability to run on batteries.


We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is .