Heartbeat could power pacemakers, according to new study

[ArrhythmiaAlliance]

If you have a pacemaker then you will be all too familiar to the battery life of these life-saving gadgets. Now, researchers claim it is possible to create a device that can get energy from a beating heart to produce electricity and cancel the need for batteries.

Researchers at the University of Michigan simulated heartbeats to generate electricity. They were able to produce ten times the amount of energy needed to power a pacemaker.

These findings are in the very early stages and much more testing is needed to ascertain whether such a device would be safe and effective to use. However, it is encouraging to see an alternative device being designed to rid the necessity of replacing pacemaker batteries every seven years.

What do you make of this study?