Xin Ning, an assistant professor of aerospace engineering, specializes in developing materials for use in space. He has now received a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to apply his research a little closer to home, with a stretchable sensor and foldable field hospital that could aid in the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Two years ago, I had the idea for an expandable chamber that could be deployed on the International Space Station with the ability to monitor astronaut health,” Ning said. “When COVID-19 started to spread, I thought this idea could be useful on Earth.”

The two-year, $265,000 grant is a part of the “EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research” (EAGER) program that funds early stage research with transformative potential.

The first step in Ning’s project is to develop a stretchable sensor that fits to a patient’s chest and abdomen.

Read more at Pennsylvania State University

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