Page 128 - Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Biomimetics: Technology Imitates Nature

Technology Is Unable to Match the Design in the Human
Heart

Human beings live for an average of between 70 and 80 years. The
human heart beats some 70 to 80 times a minute, for a total of several bil-
lion times during the course of an individual’s lifetime. The Abiomed
company, known for its research into artificial hearts, has stated that de-
spite all its work, it will be unable to imitate the flawless functioning that
the heart displays successfully over the years. For the company’s newly-
developed artificial heart to beat 175 million beats, or about five years, ap-
pears a significant target. 86
A product of the latest technology, this artificial heart was tested in
calves before human beings, although the calves survived for only a few
months. The artificial heart developed by the company has been put in
safety trials in human heart failure patients in 2004. But, obviously re-
searchers find the human heart so difficult to imitate. Steven Vogel of
Duke University, a biomechanic who has also written a book on this sub-

Alan Snyder

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