Pacemakers and defibs could be powered by heart’s kinetic energy

Engineers at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire, have developed a dime-sized device to capture and convert the kinetic energy generated by the heart into electricity to power implantable medical devices like pacemakers and defibrillators. It combines PVDF, a type of thin polymer piezoelectric film, with a minimally-invasive mechanical design to enable self-charging batteries.
Dartmouth engineering professor John X.J. Zhang, a lead researcher, said: “We’re trying to solve the ultimate problem for any implantable biomedical device. How do you create an effective energy source so the device will do its job during the entire life span of the patient, without the need for surgery to replace the battery? We’ve completed the first round of animal studies with great results which will be published soon. There is already a lot of expressed interest from the major medical technology companies.”
Dartmouth research associate Lin Dong, first author on the paper, said: “Of equal importance is that the device not interfere with the body’s function. We knew it had to be biocompatible, lightweight, flexible, and low profile, so it not only fits into the current pacemaker structure but is also scalable for future multi-functionality.”