Sophie Adenot getting ready for an EchoFinder session

Since their arrival aboard the International Space Station on 14 February 2026, ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot and NASA astronaut Jack Hathaway have already carried out two sessions of EchoFinder, an experiment developed by the French space agency CNES for the εpsilon mission.

EchoFinder tackles a key challenge for the future of human space exploration: how astronauts can perform reliable ultrasound scans without medical training and without real-time support from a doctor.

The system combines augmented reality and artificial intelligence. An augmented reality interface guides the astronaut to position the ultrasound probe correctly, while an AI system identifies organs and records images. These data can then be sent to medical teams on Earth for diagnosis.

Developed with future missions in mind, EchoFinder addresses scenarios where communication delays make real-time assistance impossible. The technology also holds promise on Earth, including use on ships, in submarines, or in remote regions without immediate access to medical expertise.

Among the mission’s thirty-six European experiments, seven French experiments, including EchoFinder, were developed by CADMOS, CNES’s centre for the development of microgravity applications and space operations.

At European level, CADMOS is one of ESA’s four User Support and Operations Centres (USOCs), supporting more than 25 scientific experiments each year on behalf of ESA and its international partners.

Follow Sophie’s mission on the εpsilon page and on her social media platforms, such as X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn. 

[Image description: ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot floats inside the International Space Station while preparing for an EchoFinder session. She holds ultrasound-related equipment in both hands, surrounded by cables, laptops and scientific instruments mounted on the Station’s interior walls in microgravity.]