Preliminary results from standing ballistocardiography measurements in microgravity

We report on the feasibility of standing ballistocardiogram (BCG) measurements recorded in a microgravity environment. A clinically-tested BCG monitoring scale was adapted for parabolic flight for the microgravity measurements. Upon completion of this flight campaign, the BCG scale was shown to make measurements in micro-g and one-g environments--which is a first demonstration for a standing BCG system. This screening experiment demonstrated proof-of-concept attributes of the hardware design necessary for future characterization studies with multiple subjects. This scale-based BCG system is proposed as a practical device for hemodynamic monitoring for astronauts in Earth, Lunar, Martian, orbital, and interplanetary environments.