NASA SUITS Competition

"NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) is the leading space agency responsible for aerospace research, space exploration, and technological advancements in human spaceflight. As part of its mission to prepare for future lunar and Mars exploration, NASA created the Spacesuit User Interface Technologies for Students (SUITS) challenge—a national competition where university teams design augmented reality (AR) interfaces to assist astronauts in navigation, science sampling, and real-time mission tasks.

As part of Team Invictus in 2021, I co-authored the proposal that secured us a spot in this highly competitive national challenge. My primary responsibilities included leading the mechanical logistics, handling all CAD and 3D modeling, and assisting in AR simulation development. I was responsible for designing dimensionally accurate 3D models of lunar tools based on NASA-provided documentation and integrating them into an AR training and guidance system for astronauts.

One of my key tasks was to design dimensionally accurate 3D models of the tools used in the Apollo lunar missions. Using NASA’s official schematics, I recreated these tools in SolidWorks, ensuring they were true to scale and fully functional in a virtual AR environment. In addition to these lunar tools, I also worked on other essential 3D models required for the project, including various hardware components, AR-related objects, and UI assets. These models played a critical role in ensuring a cohesive system, both in the physical and digital aspects of our augmented reality solution.

Beyond just modeling the tools, I developed animated simulations that demonstrated how each tool functioned in a real-world lunar setting. When astronauts held a physical tool, the AR headset would overlay a holographic version performing the correct action, allowing them to visually follow step-by-step procedures in real-time. This required precise object tracking and spatial alignment, ensuring that the digital overlays matched the real-world tools. Additionally, I contributed 3D models for other AR-based elements, such as interface components and environmental markers, which helped improve the overall user experience.

One of my other roles in the UI/UX development was conceptualizing the interface flow for the astronaut’s sample collection process. I focused on determining what key features and information needed to be available at each stage of the process and how the AR interface could guide the astronaut seamlessly. My goal was to ensure that the UI was intuitive, accessible, and efficient, requiring minimal effort from the astronaut while still providing clear step-by-step instructions.

While I was not directly responsible for UI implementation, I worked on early-stage planning and conceptual UI designs. Using wireframing tools and software I was familiar with, I created draft layouts and interaction flow diagrams that illustrated how the system could function. These drafts were then used by the UX team as a foundation to build out the final interface, ensuring that the astronaut’s experience was optimized for clarity, ease of use, and real-time guidance.

Although our team did not win the competition, we developed an impressive proof-of-concept AR system in a limited timeframe. This experience gave me invaluable skills in Unity, AR design, and 3D modeling, along with hands-on experience in creating interactive training environments for astronauts. It also reinforced my interest in AR for industrial and aerospace applications. The ability to provide real-time digital guidance through AR is a powerful tool, and this experience showed me the potential for augmented reality in complex engineering and operational environments.