Soft Robotic Sleeve Fitted Around the Heart |
The growing field of
soft robotics finds an application in cardiac assistance. Soft robotic devices safely interact with soft tissue and
give assistance in cardiac function. These devices reduce the burden of heart
disease, thus helping in even healing and recovery.
Need and Significance of the Research
This kind of research
is significant at the moment because heart failure affects 41 million people
worldwide. The treatment options for heart failure are ventricular assisting
devices and heart transplants which may put the patients at the risks of blood
clotting and stroke. Harvard University and Boston
Children’s Hospital researchers have developed a customizable soft robot that can
be placed around the heart and helps it beat, potentially opening new treatment
options for people suffering from heart failure.
How Soft Robot Helps Heart Beat
This soft
robotic sleeve is inspired by the human heart. The sleeve is made of thin
silicone and has soft pneumatic actuators. The pneumatic actuators are similar
to the outer layers of the human heart and it produces heart compression in
synchronization with the heart beat. The sleeve is attached to the heart using
a combination of a suction device, sutures, and a gel interface to help with
friction between the device and the heart. The device is tethered to an
external pump, which uses air to power the soft actuators. An advantage of this
robot is that it does not come into contact with the blood. The robotic
sleeve can be customized by tuning the pressure of actuators to assist in
compression depending on the weakness of the patient’s heart.
Robotic Sleeve In Cardiac Assistance...
It's Just A New Beginning....
More
research needs to be done before the sleeve can be implanted in humans, but the
research is an important first step toward an implantable soft robot that can
augment organ function. A patent is applied and is commercialization opportunities are pursued actively by Harvard's Office of Technology Development.
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