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TeamViewer Connects Earth to Space to Monitor Astronauts' Health
[June 21, 2017]

TeamViewer Connects Earth to Space to Monitor Astronauts' Health


TeamViewer, a leading global software provider for digital networking and collaboration, today announced it has been working with the French National Space Agency, Centre National D'études Spatiales (CNES) on Project ECHO. The project, which was designed to advance our knowledge of the human body, physics, and biology, monitored the effects of space travel on the health of astronauts working aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Project ECHO is part of a six-month mission to maintain a weightless research laboratory on the ISS and run scientific experiments for hundreds of researchers on Earth. The project uses many of the most advanced ultrasound machines and echograph equipment available today, combined with the functionality of TeamViewer, to connect specialists on the ground with astronaut patients in space.

The remote-operated echograph is physically handled by the astronaut on-board the space station, but is controlled remotely by a technician on Earth through the use of TeamViewer's collaboration technology. The astronaut only needs a basic understanding of human anatomy to place the echograph's probe on the area of the bod being explored. The analysis is then carried out by medical experts on Earth. With the excellent quality of the transmitted image and the rapid response of the probe, the medical personnel were able to provide rapid and precise medical diagnoses.



Following research, which identified a major change in the blood vessels that appeared after six months in microgravity, the experiments are intended to reveal further details on how space travel impacts human condition. The ultimate goal was to ensure the astronauts return from their missions both safely and healthy.

The scientists responsible for the ECHO experiment had to take into account the constraints inherent to the situation when choosing the equipment; the need to preserve the confidentiality of data and to secure the echograph in the ISS, the station's safety rules, and the technical constraints linked to the IP network such as 'modem in a dead zone.'


CNES needed a tele-operated product that was capable of creating a link between the specialist and the patient. TeamViewer was able to easily adapt to meet these specific needs and provided sound, images, video, and file transfer capabilities. As a result, TeamViewer worked alongside CNES to design a private link that allowed space and ground researchers to interact in ways which were never previously possible, revolutionizing our understanding of the impact of space travel on humans.

The project will be featured during this year's CRiP conference, which begins today in Paris, France. There, experts from the CNES will discuss Project ECHO and the use case in further detail.

More information about Project ECHO is available at TeamViewer's YouTube Page.

About TeamViewer

TeamViewer is a leading global software provider for digital networking and collaboration. Founded in 2005 in Göppingen, Germany, the company employs around 700 people from more than 50 countries. Its flagship product, TeamViewer, is an all-in-one solution for remote support, remote access, and online meetings. The software actively runs on more than 400 million devices, of which at least 25 million are connected to TeamViewer at any point in time. The company's product portfolio is complemented by solutions for IT monitoring, data backup, anti-malware and web-conferencing. TeamViewer was acquired by Permira in 2014. Further information is available at: www.teamviewer.com


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