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Aurora Flight Sciences — EDLS-ISS

FO validated dynamic load sensors for ISS exercise. Patent filed. Aurora acquired by Boeing (2017). Technology likely shelved.

Summary

Aurora Flight Sciences (Cambridge MA, MIT spin-off) developed Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors (EDLS) for measuring biomechanical loads during exercise on the ISS Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED). FO project 91361 validated the sensor system at TRL 4→6 (2014–2016). A patent was filed (US20190015702A1). Boeing acquired Aurora in November 2017. No evidence of ISS deployment found. The EDLS technology appears to have been absorbed and shelved following the Boeing acquisition — Aurora's core focus is advanced autonomous aviation (CRANE, Liberty Lifter, Orion drone), not ISS health monitoring.

PI: Christopher Krebs (co-I: Jessica Duda)
Confidence: speculative (patent confirmed; ISS deployment unconfirmed, no USASpending contracts specific to EDLS)

FO Project

Field Detail
Project ID 91361
Title Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors for ISS (EDLS-ISS)
Period 2014-06-30 – 2016-01-22
TRL 4→6
Platform Parabolic flight (microgravity validation)
TX area TX06.3.2: Prevention and Countermeasures

Problem: ISS crews exercise on ARED to counter bone/muscle loss in microgravity. ARED lacks onboard biomechanical data collection — crew exercise efficacy is not monitored in real-time. Aurora + MIT developed wearable load sensors to measure force application during ARED use.

NTRS connection: Related publication "Portable Load Measurement Device for Use During ARED Exercise on ISS" (NASA/TM—2014-008724) covers the underlying technology.

Library Items

  • Patent: US20190015702A1 — Dynamic Load Sensor for Microgravity
    Filed: ~2017 (published 2019). Covers the sensor design validated in the FO project. Patent was filed after project end and after Boeing acquisition — suggesting Boeing captured the IP.

  • Project Website: NASA STMD (generic link, no specific EDLS page)

Aurora's Post-FO Trajectory

Boeing completed Aurora acquisition November 8, 2017. Aurora became a Boeing subsidiary.

Aurora's actual portfolio (USASpending, page 1): - $114.46M — USAF Big Safari (intelligence surveillance platforms, 2017–2022) - $95.48M — USAF Big Safari Orion (long-endurance ISR drone, 2012–2019)
- $94.37M — DARPA CRANE (active flow control X-plane, 2022–2025) - $86.84M — DARPA VTOL X-Plane (2016–2018) - $48.24M — DARPA Liberty Lifter (seaplane, 2023–2025) - $33.30M — DARPA SPRINT (speed/runway independent technologies, 2023–2025)

Aurora is a defense autonomous aviation company. The EDLS ISS project is an outlier in their portfolio — no follow-on space health contracts visible in USASpending. The MIT partnership (co-I Jessica Duda) suggests the academic side may have continued the research separately from Aurora.

ISS Deployment Status

Not confirmed. The NTRS 2014 document predates the FO project completion (2016). No ISS Daily Summary Reports mentioning EDLS found. ISS NL partner page for Aurora exists but covers broader relationship. The TRL 4→6 achievement is in parabolic flight; ISS deployment would require ~TRL 7–8 and qualification. Given Aurora's acquisition and portfolio shift, ISS deployment is unlikely without an independent continuation at MIT or NASA.

Outcome Assessment

Dimension Finding
Technology Validated TRL 6 in microgravity. Patent filed (US20190015702A1).
ISS deployment Not confirmed. Probably shelved.
Commercial path None — no consumer/healthcare product identified.
Post-acquisition Boeing captured IP via patent but Aurora's focus is aviation.

Archetype: FO project outside core company competency → patent filed → company acquired → technology shelved. Similar to GAMMA-ALF (Made in Space rationalized post-Redwire SPAC), but in this case the acquirer (Boeing) is large enough that the technology may simply sit dormant.

Open thread: Jessica Duda (MIT co-I) — has she continued wearable exercise monitoring research? Could be a separate academic publication chain. Also: ISS crew exercise monitoring is a real unmet need; the MIT side may have licensed or spun out something.

Cross-references