We’ve seen how robots can be used in factories to automate tasks and lift heavy objects. We’ve also seen how it can be used to help humans move parts of their bodies that they can’t. We’ve also seen robots being used to educate kids on coding, so it really shouldn’t be a surprise to learn that robots can soon help our hearts beat.
Developed by the researchers at Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital, this is a “soft robot” that wraps around the human heart and helps it to beat. Now there already exists devices and machines that helps keep a person alive by keeping their hearts pumping, but this soft robotic sleeve functions in a slightly different way.
According to the researchers, “The soft robotic sleeve twists and compresses in synch with a beating heart, augmenting cardiovascular functions weakened by heart failure. Unlike currently available devices that assist heart function, Harvard’s soft robotic sleeve does not directly contact blood. This reduces the risk of clotting and eliminates the need for a patient to take potentially dangerous blood thinner medications.”
It is envisioned that this device could be used as a bridge while a patient is waiting for a transplant, or to aid in cardiac-related rehab and recovery. Unfortunately the soft robotic sleeve is still in the early stages of development and have only been tested on pigs, but the researchers believe that it holds plenty of promise.
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