MIT Has Unveiled 3D Printed Hearts That Look and Act Like the Real Thing

Human technology has advanced so far in the past few centuries, and it is undeniable that one of the sectors where we have seen the most growth is medical. Considering that nothing is scarier than the prospect of facing serious health issues, this is perhaps unsurprising. It is also one of the sectors that is the most innovative in general, always seeking to adopt new technologies, including of course additive manufacturing. In the latest news, MIT engineers have successfully created a 3D printed robotic heart which can perfectly replica that of a patient, down to look and even pumping, allowing for more effective treatment for heart diseases.

Heart problems are one of the largest causes of death around the world. In fact, every year about 647,000 Americans die from heart disease according to Healthline, meaning it is the cause of one out of every 4 deaths in the country. The CDC even notes that it is the number one cause of death in the USA. Furthermore, data have shown that the numbers are only increasing, with a study showing that during the pandemic the heart attack death rates in particular took a sharp turn for all age groups. As such finding ways to treat heart diseases is a number one priority for many in medicine. Here 3D printing especially could play a key role in helping to tailor treatment to each patient.

The 3D printed heart replica

A More Realistic 3D Printed Heart Replica

This particular project was the brainchild of MIT researchers including Luca Rosalia, Caglar Ozturk, Debkalpa Goswami, Jean Bonnemain, Sophie Wang, and Ellen Roche, working as well with Benjamin Bonner of Massachusetts General Hospital, James Weaver of Harvard University, and Christopher Nguyen, Rishi Puri, and Samir Kapadia at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio. The goal? To make a robotic heart that is a soft and flexible replica of a patient in order to help treat different diseases of the hearts, including finding more suitable implants or developing the best function and fit for a synthetic valve in an aorta.