A Dutch surgeon has been working in association with the British Heart Foundation to develop a ‘hybrid heart’, which is made of soft artificial muscles and sensors. Researchers have claimed that this Robotic heart will put an end to the requirement of transplants from dead humans. The first ever-soft Robo heart is still in process and might clear the NHS transplant waiting list. Made from soft artificial muscles and sensors, this hybrid heart will be coated in human tissues grown in the lab. Experts are expected to introduce this artificial heart in the next 10 years. Scientists have said that this innovation might save the lives of thousands of people who die while waiting for their turn in the organ donor list globally.
Professor Jolanda Kluin from the University of Amsterdam has said that the replacement is the only cure for end-stage heart failure. The hybrid heart will be a viable solution for people who are waiting for donors, as there is an acute shortage of organ donors around the world. Researchers have informed that this Robo heart will be driven by air and fluid. It will be powered by electricity. Electricity will be transmitted through a wireless close power source, which will be worn by the patients along with clothes. A small battery will also be placed inside the patients, which will supply power to the heart for an hour when they take a shower or go swimming.
This research has been funded by the European Union. The authorities have already claimed that this technology is very much possible. This Hybrid heart needs to be wrapped in cells from the patient’s own body so the device is not infected and rejected by the body. Scientists are getting the device patented. First, it will be tested on animals for five years. France had also attempted to develop a Robotic heart earlier. However, the patient had died two and a half months after the transplant. That Robotic heart was developed from sponge-like material called polyurethane and cells from the cow’s heart. The latest Robo heart development has incorporated a major advance as it will use stiffness of muscle tissue and will move and pump like a real heart.
