Powering and artificial heart?

[Raavin]

Powering and artificial heart??

Is there any way that one can construct a heat exchanger that concentrates the energy from heat into a smaller space? Eg a big plate at a certain temperature which concentrates heat into a higher temperature in a smaller area. I'm thinking not. If you can't, is there something like a solar panel that can create electricity directly from heat?

What I'm thinking of is a way that you can use a persons body heat to heat nitinol muscle wire to power an artificial heart. The wire needs to be able to heat to 70 odd degrees C to spring back to it's original shape, so if you stretch it for example and apply heat, it will shrink back to it's original length.

Also, would it be possible to bring the temperature of the wire back down using some sort of internal liquid cooling system or would the disipationof heat increase your blood temperature too much?

Any ideas??

Raavin [?]

 

[russ_watters]

You can just use induction for that.

 

[ravenprp]

The idea of using heat exchangers and nitinol muscle wire to power an artificial heart is certainly intriguing. While I am not an expert in this field, I believe there are ongoing research and development efforts exploring this concept. However, there are a few challenges that need to be addressed in order for this to become a viable solution.

Firstly, as you mentioned, the heat dissipation from the wire could potentially increase the body's temperature, which could have negative impacts on the person's health. It would be important to find a way to regulate the temperature and prevent overheating.

Additionally, the efficiency of converting heat into electricity is still relatively low compared to other forms of energy conversion such as solar panels. Therefore, the amount of heat needed to power the artificial heart may need to be quite significant, which could also have potential health implications.

Overall, while the concept of using body heat to power an artificial heart is interesting, it may require further advancements in technology and research in order to become a safe and effective solution.