AI-powered eye-tracking measures and predicts astronaut cognitive load and fatigue in real time, testing to commence in Antarctica before heading to space

BETHESDA, MD – September 30, 2025 – HarmonEyes, the world’s only AI-powered eye-tracking platform, today announced that it has been tapped by the NASA-funded Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) to deploy H-SMART, a breakthrough eye-tracking solution system designed to measure and predict cognitive load and fatigue before it becomes a behavioral safety risk in spaceflight. The work begins later this year in Antarctica, one of Earth’s harshest environments, as a proving ground for deep space missions.

The HarmonEyes Human State Monitoring and Readiness Tool (H-SMART), a system designed to measure eye movements to assess cognitive load and fatigue levels, will be deployed in late 2025 at the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic stations run by the Australian Antarctic Program. By measuring subtle changes in eye movements, H-SMART delivers passive, highly accurate, real-time monitoring of cognitive load and fatigue. In long-duration missions, where even minor performance decrements can be mission-critical, HarmonEyes’ technology provides astronauts and controllers with a critical early warning system and delivers interventions and corrective actions in real time. By applying advanced AI and machine learning for predictive modeling, HarmonEyes ensures H-SMART can adapt to the unique demands of extended space missions, where maintaining peak performance over months or years is mission-critical.

These solutions will be implemented to monitor and predict the participants’ actual (versus perceived) levels of cognitive load and fatigue in extreme environmental conditions.

“The eyes tell us a lot about our mental condition and with HarmonEyes, we’re able to monitor them to gauge cognitive load and fatigue in real time, ensuring peak cognitive performance during mission-critical situations like space exploration,” said Adam Gross, CEO and Co-Founder of HarmonEyes. “This partnership with TRISH validates our solution but more exciting than that, brings mankind one step closer to safer missions to the Moon and Mars.”

The H-SMART solution provides instantaneous data to the astronaut and support personnel via HarmonEyes “Theia™ SDK” (software development kit). Theia delivers results that are real time, at the edge, and easily understood so feedback can be applied immediately, enabling the tool to be broadly used by relevant user groups.

“The unobtrusive design of the H-SMART eye-tracking system makes it easy to deploy in extreme environments and practical for astronauts in space,” said Rihana Bokhari, PhD, Scientific Research Director for TRISH. “By validating this technology in Antarctica, we can better understand how it will help astronauts stay focused and mission-ready during the most demanding expeditions.”

“In the Antarctic we will demonstrate that H-SMART can offer superior prediction of astronaut’s cognitive and fatigue states solely based on eye metrics,” added Gross. “This is state-of-the-art technology, and we can tailor the hardware and software to meet additional needs in almost any category or industry.”

While HarmonEyes is pushing the boundaries of space exploration, its greatest impact may be here on Earth. From aviation to healthcare, to industries where focus and safety matter most, HarmonEyes is setting a new standard for keeping people sharp, safe, and ready. For more information about HarmonEyes or H-SMART, please visit www.harmoneyes.com.

A press kit can be viewed HERE.

About HarmonEyes

HarmonEyes is the world’s only open, AI-powered eye-tracking platform that identifies and predicts a person’s cognitive, emotional, and physical state based on eye movements alone. Compatible with any camera-based device, HarmonEyes provides a one-stop shop to analyze eye-tracking data, develop models, and deploy solutions to applications at scale with the Theia™ SDK. Backed by 60+ years of eye-tracking experience and born from the largest validated eye-tracking database (14 million unique records), HarmonEyes is used by the world’s leading organizations in technology, aviation/automotive, healthcare, and elite performance in military and sports. Learn more and get a demo at www.harmoneyes.com.    

About The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH)

TRISH (Translational Research Institute for Space Health) is serving the new space economy to accelerate human exploration and health discoveries, shaping the future of human performance in space and in extreme environments on Earth. Empowered by the NASA Human Research Program, TRISH is manifesting the future of optimized human performance by rapidly ensuring astronauts and earthlings benefit from the latest space health advancements. As the critical link between space and health industries, TRISH focuses on operational solutions and mission-critical tools. With rigor, agility, and efficiency, TRISH advances innovations and collaborations that enable all humans to thrive, wherever they explore.

Media contact:
Alyssa Maslowski
alyssa@lightspeedpr.com

SOURCE: http://www.intelligence360.io
Copyright (c) 2025 SI360 Inc. All rights reserved.