New energy-harvesting device can power pacemakers

An experimental device converted energy from a beating heart to provide enough electricity to power a pacemaker, in a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012. The findings suggest that patients could power their pacemakers - eliminating the need for replacements when batteries are spent. In a preliminary study, researchers tested an energy-harvesting device that uses piezoelectricity - electrical charge generated from motion. The approach is a promising technological solution for pacemakers, because they require only small amounts of power to operate, said M. Amin Karami, Ph.D., lead author of the study and research fellow in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Read more here: http://www.news-medical.net/news/20121104/New-energy-harvesting-device-can-power-pacemakers.aspx