Lucent scientists work with government, academic, and industry partners on projects that span the entire spectrum of military-specific medicine.  See below for descriptions of the levels of care (medical "Roles") and where some of our projects fit in that care spectrum.

AutonomouS casualty care and evacuation (roles 1-3)

The management and evacuation of combat casualties is dangerous for both air and ground crews.  In the air, the evacuation vehicle is at high risk of attack.  On the ground, the care of casualties takes manpower away from the fight. These challenges are exacerbated in cases of multiple/mass casualties, where the team may not even have the manpower needed to tend to the casualties and hold tactical ground. The cognitive demands of casualty management are equally heavy, especially under operational pressures.  Not only must a Medic or Corpsman make life-saving decisions under time and resource pressures, but the casualty evacuation (CASEVAC) team must determine the destination and route of transport without real-time access to the status of the available medical care facilities.   

With the advancements in software and hardware, technology an help.  Real-time, multilayered computational decision assist algorithms can map out the most operationally and clinically relevant CASEVAC route, while decision assist- and closed loop-enabled critical care systems can provide emergency care and resuscitation to a casualty with and without the intervention of a human caregiver.  As a part of programs funded by the Office of Naval Research we are working on the planning, development, and advancement of such "force multipliers" for better clinical and operational care of forward casualties.  

BLAST Predictive Algorithm (Role 1-2)

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) has become the signature injury of recent combat engagements.  While even a single injury can cause lasting deficits, a second event carries the risk of cumulative injury.  Unfortunately, mild TBI is by definition difficult to detect, particularly in populations exposed to multiple other stressors at the same time. To address this problem, Lucent scientists have worked with the Office of Naval Research and Applied Research Associates to develop an empirically-based model of blast-related TBI that predicts the likelihood of incurring injury form single or multiple exposures to blast overpressure.  The final deliverable will be a software tool with a Go/No-Go output that determines if personnel can return to duty or must report for further testing with a neurofunctional assessment test such as Brain Gauge.

Brain Gauge (Roles 1-5 for detection; Roles 3-5 for tracking)

Brain Gauge is the culmination of decades of research into the functional and physiological architecture of the somatosensory system. The technology can not only detect the mildest TBI or concussion, but track more severe injuries and reveal the functional areas that need greater rehabilitation.  Dr. Mark Tommerdahl, professor of biomedical engineering at University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and co-founder of Cortical Metrics, build the first prototypes over 10 years ago.  Studies in high school athletes have shown Brain Gauge detects even concussions that elude standard protocols.     

Working with Cortical Metrics, the Office of Naval Research, and the US Army, we expect to enroll Brain Gauge in multi-center clinical trials and obtain FDA approval for detection of mild TBI by 2020.  The deliverable will be a fieldable mild TBI screening device that gauges sub-cognitive functions of the somatosensory cortex to enable in-theater brain health testing. The existing version of the device can reliably detect and track mTBI, and even distinguish injury from other battlefield-related symptoms such as stress and fatigue (visit Cortical Metrics for more information). The fully-manufactured product will be inexpensive, compact, rugged, and simple to use with rapid (< 10 min) and engaging tests. The product output will be quantitative for immediate “Go/No-Go” decisions.