New tech could prevent need to store non-working pacemakers inside the heart

An article on PhysOrg reports UB researchers are developing a piezoelectric system that converts the heart’s vibrational energy into electricity to power pacemakers, and quotes Hooman Ansari, a PhD candidate in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

"What we're proposing would make receiving a pacemaker a one-and-done type procedure that could take as little as 15 minutes," he said. "In the United States alone, about 200,000 people receive battery replacements for their pacemakers every year. We could eliminate these procedures, saving the health care system untold amounts of money and limiting patient risk that occurs with these procedures."

Working under the supervision of M. Amin Karami, assistant professor in UB's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and director of the Intelligent Dynamic Energy and Sensing Systems Lab (IDEAS Lab), Ansari and colleagues are developing a piezoelectric system that converts the heart's vibrational energy into electricity to power pacemakers.

Read the PhysOrg story here.

An article also appeared in ECN Magazine.