Solar Cells for Pacemakers? Medical Technology is Getting Clean Energy

Pacemakers are devices that monitor the heartbeat and aim to control the heart rate for accurate and controlled blood pumps from the internal organ to the rest of the body. These devices help those with problems in the heart, especially those with weak hearts or who are overworked due to a condition.

Now, researchers focus on providing it with better power sources, particularly with sponge-like solar cells soon.

Solar Cells for Pacemakers: Sponge-Like Material from Research

A research by scholars from the University of Chicago published their paper entitled "Porosity-based heterojunctions enable leadless optoelectronic modulation of tissues," aiming to bring a new medical implant for all.

The main application of its research is with pacemakers with solar cells to use for its applications, focusing on an autonomous device for a person's heart. The researcher's border on the sponge's pores may help develop the "leadless" technology that will enter a person's body, getting energy from the Sun.

Better Pacemakers with Clean Energy Coming Soon?

According to the University of Chicago, the researcher's study focuses on better pacemakers that will enter a person's body and stay with it for a long time. The researchers capitalized on the pores that people see on sponges, which will help provide energy to the device.

It will also help significantly reduce the pacemaker's size and allow alternative energy sources for the device. The sponge solar cells aim to change the procedure to install pacemakers with a less-invasive one, thanks to the study.

Pacemakers and its Technology Now

Heart failure comes from the many diseases that affect or target the pumping organ of a person, and it may come from genetics or acquired through the years of a person's life. People with heart diseases that need pacemakers get the standard ones that get their power from batteries together with the device, designed to last up to 10 years.

There is much research regarding improving the current pacemaker technology, and some scientists have developed a way to charge it using the heart's beats. It aims to reduce the need for the battery to last long, especially as not all batteries last up to their promised duration and need immediate replacement.

Additionally, there is a "bionic" pacemaker that monitors a person's breathing and heart rate in one device, and it will focus on providing the heart with what it needs when the body requires it.

Researchers from the University of Chicago aim to bring more than a medical device for everyone, as its solar cell technology that focuses on a sponge's spores could have multiple applications. Of course, their study focuses on powering a pacemaker and having it available for those that need it, bringing advancement to the medical implant for those in need.

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Written by Isaiah Richard