In An Effort To More Accurately Mimic Valves, A Biorobotic Heart Beats
Researchers developed a biorobotic heart that beats like a real one by fusing a biological heart with a silicone robotic pump. They concentrated on a valve on the left side of the heart. The heart valve simulator, which was introduced on January 10 in the journal Device, can replicate the form, operation, and movement of a normal or sick heart. This enables researchers and surgeons to show different procedures while gathering data in real time. “The simulator has a huge benefit as a research tool for those who study different heart valve conditions and interventions,” says senior author and biomedical engineer Ellen Roche of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “It can serve as a surgical training platform for clinicians, medical students, and trainees, allow device engineers to study their new designs, and even help patients better understand their own disease and potential treatments.” Novel therapies are rigorously tested in animal models and heart simulators before bei...