Bengaluru-based research institute working on AI tool to improve spacecraft hygiene

Bengaluru-based Prayoga Institute of Education Research is developing an AI-assisted instrument for the assessment of anti microbial efficacy of materials used in space applications.

Prayoga has received a grant under ISRO’s RESPOND programme for the project, “Studies on antibacterial efficacy assessment for space and terrestrial environments”.

Under RESPOND, projects in the advanced areas of relevance to space programmes are encouraged to be taken up by premiere universities and academic institutions.

Microbial colonies

“We are developing an automatic colony counter integrated with Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to detect microbial colonies on the surface. The project aims to develop an AI-assisted instrument for the assessment of antibacterial efficacy of materials used in space applications,” Ramya Prabhu, principal investigator of the project, told The Hindu.

The two-year project is led by Dr. Ramya with Dr. Venkata Krishna, Dr. Om Prakash and Dr. Sai Harshini serving as Co-Principal Investigators from Prayoga. Dr. Ramya said that the outcomes of this project have applications in future ISRO missions.

“Microbial contamination on abiotic surfaces is a major issue in healthcare, food processing, industrial, and aerospace environments. In hospitals, surfaces that people frequently touch and medical devices can harbor harmful microorganisms. This contributes to infections acquired in healthcare settings. In food processing and storage, germs lingering on surfaces can affect product safety, speed up spoilage, and shorten shelf life,” explained Dr. Venkata Krishna.

Unique challenges

He added that spacecraft environments bring unique hygiene challenges due to their confined spaces, along with temperature and humidity control that promotes bacterial growth.

“So we want to develop an indigenous automated instrument which can detect microbial colonies for getting reliable, accurate and consistent results,” said Dr. Om Prakash.

This project is not restricted to crewed missions. “Microbial presence and contamination can affect and alter spacecraft functioning.  So our work has applications in both crewed and non-crewed missions. That said, the instrument we are developing can have applications in medicine and the food industries given the ubiquitous nature of microorganisms,” Dr. Ramya said.