Dr. AI in Orbit: Healthcare Innovations for Space Tourists

Vasiliki G. Vrana (), Subhankar Das () and Subhra R. Mondal ()
Additional contact information
Vasiliki G. Vrana: School of Economics and Administration, The Campus of Serres, International Hellenic University
Subhankar Das: Duy Tan University
Subhra R. Mondal: Duy Tan University

A chapter in Pioneering the New Space Economy through AI and Immersive Technologies, 2025, pp 197-216 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Space tourism creates new healthcare challenges that have never been encountered before in space’s unique and extreme environment, such as microgravity, cosmic radiation, and isolation. Traditional medical systems tailored to terrestrial conditions are not well-equipped to address these hazards effectively. For this purpose, we closely examine how AI and advanced medical technologies can change how healthcare is delivered to space tourists. AI-facilitated diagnostics allow for near-identical biometric monitoring and predictive analysis that currently occur on Earth, and telemedicine helps to patch any comms gaps with Earth-side specialists for assistance. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) allow non-medically trained crews to conduct complicated procedures, and 3D printing enables on-demand production of medical instruments and pharmaceuticals, alleviating payload limitations. Radiation-hardened AI systems and ethical dilemmas around algorithmic decision-making pose technical challenges that need solid solutions. The advances made in space healthcare may have incredible potential on Earth, particularly in underserved populations and in remote areas, which, in turn, drive global health equity. Incorporating technological adaptability, ethical governance, and cross-system synergies in a sustainable framework, this chapter presents sustainable paradigms that improve the safety of the human factor in space missions and promote the mutation of this knowledge to Earth medicine. The relationships between these technologies highlight the dual-use potential of space-derived innovations that may enable improved access to and delivery of healthcare services, either in a low-gravity environment or on the surface of the Earth, where health disparities exist. This chapter provides that the impact of space-driven technologies in one domain may help justify expansion into the other domain and thus address such disparities.

Keywords: Space tourism; Healthcare innovation; AI; Space medicine; Medical autonomy; Sustainable healthcare (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-981-96-5977-7_10

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9789819659777

DOI: 10.1007/978-981-96-5977-7_10

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Books from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().