> > P.S. Most of the body's fluids can act as electrolytes, and the
> > heart doesn't need a continuous charge, but only "pulses." Might
> > it be possible to do something like the BEAM guys do, storing up
> > a charge and then "pulsing" it through an impeller pump?
>
> Power.
> You have to expend energy to move the mass of blood..and that not
> counting friction, back-pressurei, and inefficiency through heat
> loss.
I have no idea how much power could be generated this way, but
couldn't the implanted heart parasitically "harvest" power, by using
the body's fluids as electrolytes?
Even if it's a "low" but steady generation, we could accumulate the
power in a capacitor and discharge it across the motor leads,
when triggered by the need for a heartbeat. Same basic technique
as is used by the BEAM solar rollers.
Is this a viable idea? How much power is required to pump blood?
Might a "small" backup battery provide power for peak loads?
-- Chuck Knight
P.S. This is in no way meant to disparage the achievement of a
fully implantable replacement heart -- it's an incredible achievement.
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