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Overview of institutions involved in the ICARUS ARMOR Next Gen experiment.A total of 70 experiment proposals entered the selection process, which were first evaluated by the European Space Agency (ESA) in terms of technical feasibility, scientific contribution, and financial demands. Subsequently, the Czech expert committee assessed their strategic importance and benefits for the scientific community and the public. From these proposals, including ICARUS ARMOR Next Gen, 13 experiments were selected to create a balanced representation of various research areas—from physical sciences to studies of human physiology and projects designed for pupils and students of all education levels.
“The selection of our experiment for preparation up to the ‘Ready to Fly’ phase (i.e., completion of pre-flight qualification and readiness for integration onto the ISS) is a great honor for our team. In close cooperation with Prof. Mathias Basner, we aim to significantly advance knowledge of how to manage the astronaut’s adaptation period to microgravity conditions with minimal cognitive performance decline,” said Vratislav Šálený, the scientific guarantor of the experiment, who also presented the project at the announcement ceremony.
Part of the team present at the award ceremony. From left: Vratislav Šálený (FEEC BUT), Monika Štěpánová (Lightly technologies), Lukáš Nejdl (Lightly technologies), Tomáš Koutník (UptimAI). | Author: ICARUS ARMOR Next GenThe conditions humans are exposed to during spaceflight and stay in orbit represent an extraordinary strain on the body and can trigger stress responses. These responses manifest through changes in hormones such as cortisol or adrenaline, whose presence and concentration can be monitored noninvasively, for example, through saliva analysis. Aleš Svoboda will therefore collect saliva samples on the International Space Station (ISS), and the subsequent analysis will be carried out after his return. However, proper comparison of samples requires that collection starts on Earth before launch. The ICARUS ARMOR Next Gen experiment thus involves, in addition to the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the Department of Microelectronics from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication (FEEC BUT), also the Institute of Physical and Applied Chemistry from the Faculty of Chemistry (FCH BUT).“To evaluate stress, additional parameters will be monitored using sensors integrated into the watch. One of them is our unique sweat intensity sensor, which is similar to an electrodermal activity sensor used in lie detectors. It is part of the watch and operates without direct galvanic contact with the skin, ensuring insensitivity to sweat salinity. Thanks to its minimal power consumption, it enables long-term continuous measurement, which is unique worldwide. Other measured parameters include heart rate and variability, as well as blood oxygen saturation. We are negotiating for the watches to be able to collect data even during the Falcon 9 rocket flight,” said Jaromír Hubálek from the Department of Microelectronics, FEEC BUT, who is responsible for the watch development.
“A state-of-the-art time-resolved spectrofluorimeter at the Faculty of Chemistry BUT is used to optimize the process and verify the results of saliva photolysis. The instrument can determine concentrations of substances in saliva and their photolysis products at levels of tens of picomoles per liter (ppt, parts per trillion) and identify them using their fluorescence decay times (typically nanoseconds with 1 ps resolution),” explained Filip Mravec from the Institute of Physical and Applied Chemistry, FCH BUT, who has been involved in the project since its inception.
ICARUS ARMOR Next Gen project develops a digital twin of the astronaut capable of predicting his cognitive performance under cumulative stress. The model combines data on physiological and psychological responses to factors such as high acceleration during launch, microgravity, and long-term stress in space. It also draws on findings from the Mission Zero-G, where participants’ stress responses were monitored through noninvasive saliva collection. Based on this data, the model can estimate stress resilience, recovery speed, and optimize work-rest schedules, thereby increasing astronaut safety and performance while contributing to the understanding of the effects of extreme stress on the human body.