Researchers have designed a heart-powered pacemaker. Just as it
sounds, the self-powering pacemaker would keep the heart beating
by using the person's own heartbeat to power it. At first
glance, this idea seems somewhat impossible, like using the
movement of an engine's pistons to power a car. However,
researchers David Tran and his colleagues from Stanford
University explain in a recent patent that the idea is very
plausible. For one thing, a heart-powered pacemaker can generate
and store more electricity than required to operate, and use the
stored energy when needed. Also, a battery could be included in
the pacemaker, and power from the heart would extend the life of
the battery. Overall, the researchers hope that the invention
could at least double the lifetime of today's pacemakers.
Currently, the batteries in pacemakers can last up to ten years,
although they typically last only four to five years.
(Originally, batteries lasted for as little as a year.) The
invention also has the potential to reduce the