ITHACA, NEW YORK — Scientists at Cornell University have invented a new material called elastomeric foam that can be used to create an artificial heart that "mimics the shape and function of a real heart," according to a press release published by the university.
A paper in which the researchers demonstrate how they made the heart was published online in the journal Advanced Materials. Rob Shepherd, an assistant engineering professor at Cornell University and senior author of the paper, said in a promotional video published on YouTube that the material can be moulded, is very soft and porous, and its pores can be adjusted, which makes it possible to change the amount of liquid that flows through the material.
When air or liquid is pumped through the foam, the foam can expand at different rates and it can stretch more than 600 percent of its length, Shepherd said. The new material also has applications for soft robotics and prosthetics limbs and implantable devices, according to the press release.
If it were to be used to make a product for the market, the fact that the foam is cheap and malleable would allow the product to be customized for individual patients. The new foam would have to gain approval from the FDA before it could be used to make such products.
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