Following the advancement in 3D printing, a team of researchers from ETH Zurich, Switzerland has created the world’s first entirely soft artificial heart through a combination of 3D printing and prosthetics science. One of the main problems with the current artificial hearts is the difficulty in integrating metal and plastic mechanisms with human tissue. The pulse differences among individuals may put patients at a great risk with irregular heartbeat. This new silicone heart is said to be capable of fundamentally working like the human heart.

The newly developed artificial heart is 3D printed, its size and shape can be tailored to fit for different patients. The complete structure also dismisses concerns regarding the integration of various internal mechanisms, but requires special attention to the connections for blood input and output. Furthermore, although crafted with soft and flexible materials, the artificial heart has a complex inner structure complete with ventricles that allows it to imitate muscle contractions.

This artificial heart is still in concept stage and not yet ready for implementation. The existing materials can only last for more than 3,000 heartbeats, equivalent to 30 to 45 minutes. Even so, the production of this heart is already a great leap from the current blood pumps and temporary artificial hearts. Moving forward, researchers at ETH Zurich will continue to improve the materials and design to extend the functioning time of the artificial heart.