New Delhi: Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut on the International Space Station, is working to develop a brain-computer interface in the orbital lab, said NASA on Thursday. Shukla, part of the Axiom Space mission-4, used near-infrared technology to develop the interface in the Columbus laboratory module aboard the orbiting lab along with a fellow astronaut from Poland.

“Ax-4 crewmates Shubhanshu Shukla and Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski partnered together in Columbus and studied using near-infrared technology to record brain activity for constructing brain-computer interfaces,” NASA shared in a blog post. “Uznański-Wiśniewski wore a specialised cap connected via Bluetooth to a laptop computer recording his brain activity while Shukla optimised the signal quality and calibrated the hardware,” it added.

The study explored how astronauts can use their brains to control or communicate with computers in space, even in challenging low-gravity conditions. The experiment called the “Thoughts over Gravity” (PhotonGrav) is a study aimed to verify the effectiveness of near-infrared technology (fNIRS) in low Earth orbit to record brain activity for constructing brain-computer interfaces (BCI) for operation in the microgravity environment.

Earlier, Shukla worked in the Destiny laboratory module on ISS to understand how tardigrades -- tiny aquatic animals -- survive numerous harsh climates including microgravity. He deployed sample bags and captured images of the algae strains on the ISS. Shukla also looked at muscle cell stem cultures through a microscope to understand the muscle repair process in weightlessness.

Further, the IAF Group Captain has recorded a video for students explaining to them how the human digestive system adapts to space. Shukla is also expected to interact with school students and scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from his orbital post via ham radio on Friday evening.

Lucknow-born Shukla is on a 14-day scientific expedition on the ISS as part of the Axiom-4 mission, along with three other astronauts from the US, Poland, and Hungary. The Ax-4 crew will conduct around 60 scientific studies and commercial activities in microgravity representing 31 countries, including the US, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, UAE, and nations across Europe. India, through ISRO, has contributed seven carefully selected studies to the mission. 

(IANS)