Researchers claim the experimental device converts energy from a beating heart to provide enough electricity to power a pacemaker. Such pacemakers could eliminate the need for surgeries to replace the depleted batteries.
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, lead author of the study and research fellow in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan.
Piezoelectricity might also power other implantable cardiac devices like defibrillators, which have minimal energy needs, he said.
Today's pacemakers must be replaced every five to seven years when their batteries run out, which is costly and inconvenient, Karami said in a statement.
"Many of the patients are children who live with pacemakers for many years," he said. "You can imagine how many operations they are spared if this new technology is implemented," he said.
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Researchers measured heartbeat-induced vibrations in the chest. Then, they used a "shaker" to reproduce the vibrations in the laboratory and connected it to a prototype cardiac energy harvester.
Measurements of the prototype's performance, based on sets of 100 simulated heartbeats at various heart rates, showed the energy harvester performed as predicted - generating more than 10 times the power than modern pacemakers require.
The next step will be implanting the energy harvester, which is about half the size of batteries now used in pacemakers, Karami said.
Researchers hope to integrate their technology into commercial pacemakers.
Two types of energy harvesters can power a typical pacemaker: linear and nonlinear. Linear harvesters work well only at a specific heart rate, so heart rate changes prevent them from harvesting enough power.
In contrast, a nonlinear harvester - the type used in the study - uses magnets to enhance power production and make the harvester less sensitive to heart rate changes.
The study was presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012.