UND Particpates in NASA SUITS Design Challenge

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 where the team will focus on 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 students from around the country. Dr. Pablo de León is their faculty advisor and SPST graduate student Shannon Forrey is the Student Team Coordinator. Team members are SPST graduate students Anamika, Lukasz Antoniak, Joseph Clift, Brandon Martin, Steven Newcomb, Rakesh Balaji Rakesh, Catherine Taylor and Prabhu Victor (proposal phase); Aerospace Sciences graduate student Anima Patil-Sabale; and Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Seniors Stefan Tomovic and Nelio Batista.