BUZZ-PR: Wearable Neuroadaptive System for Enhancing Astronaut Health in Long-Duration Missions

As human spaceflight missions extend beyond low Earth orbit and toward longer-duration exploration, maintaining astronaut cognitive function and emotional stability becomes critical. Conventional stress management approaches—such as medication, therapy, or environmental modulation— offer limited adaptability and personalization within the dynamic and high-stakes environment of space. This paper presents BUZZ-PR, an integrated neuroadaptive system designed to monitor, detect, and mitigate astronaut stress and fatigue through real-time biosensing and non-invasive neuromodulation. The system employs electroencephalography (EEG) and photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors to monitor neurological and physiological indicators of stress, including beta-to-theta EEG band ratios, heart rate variability (HRV), and frontal alpha asymmetry. These biosignals are processed through a machine learning-based classification model and compared against individualized thresholds established via preflight functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Upon detection of a stress state, BUZZ-PR activates a closed-loop transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) protocol, targeted to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), to modulate neural activity and restore cognitive performance. This paper details the system’s hardware configuration, signal processing architecture, activation logic, and fMRI-informed personalization framework. BUZZ-PR represents a novel, modular platform for proactive mental health support in long-duration space missions and sets a precedent for future neuroadaptive technologies in aerospace medicine.