UND team to develop Augmented Reality display for NASA Astronauts

A team from the University of North Dakota has been accepted into the NASA Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students (NASA S.U.I.T.S.) Design Challenge. The SUITS project challenges students to develop a spacesuit informatics system utilizing augmented reality (AR) to help astronauts become more efficient and effective during Spacewalks.

Over the course of two months, the team developed an in-depth proposal documenting preliminary coding, UI/UX design, outreach strategy, and project budgeting to submit to NASA for consideration. The SUITS project will require a working AR prototype, as well a robust outreach program which the team will focus around NASA program outreach and STEM education within the Girl Scouts organization.

An on-site prototype test week will take place at the NASA Johnson Space Center in late May with fellow teams which include MIT, UC Davis, UC Riverside and more.

Team Northern Lights is composed of both on-campus and online UND students from around the country, and overseen by faculty advisor Dr. Pablo de Leon.  Team members are:

Lukasz Antoniak – Space Studies Graduate Student

Rakesh Balaji Rakesh – Space Studies Graduate Student
Nelio Batista – Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Senior

Joseph Clift – Space Studies Graduate Student

Anamika – Space Studies Graduate Student

Shannon Forrey – Space Studies Graduate Student – Student Team Coordinator

Brandon Martin – Space Studies Graduate Student
Steven Newcomb – Space Studies Graduate Student

Anima Patil-Sabale – Space Studies Graduate Student

Catherine Taylor – Space Studies Graduate Student
Stefan Tomovic – Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Senior
Prabhu Victor – Space Studies Graduate Student (Proposal phase)