Hyperfine plans to use Swoop MR system on astronauts

Hyperfine is collaborating with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) to assess the brains of astronauts before and after embarking on the Polaris Dawn mission.

Researchers will use the vendor's Swoop Portable MR Imaging system at a SpaceX facility in Florida to acquire images of astronauts’ brains within hours of their return from space following the mission. The goal is to use these images to assess intracranial volume changes following spaceflight by performing a volumetric analysis of the brain and cerebrospinal fluid spaces.

The images will provide data to help researchers determine whether intracranial venous congestion occurs during spaceflight or during the brain’s re-adaptation to Earth, Hyperfine said.