The competition’s final will be held in Texas in October, and Team Bath Heart (TBH) is attempting to develop, prototype, and test a fully functional artificial heart there.
The 30-person student-led team, comprised of engineering majors in electrical, mechanical, and robotics, will represent the UK at the Heart Hackathon against seven other teams from nations such as Australia, Egypt, Sweden, and the USA.
In order to help patients with specific cardiovascular conditions while they wait for a donor heart to be discovered or to help their hearts recover, artificial hearts are already utilized in medicine.
Beyond the capabilities of a Ventricular Assist Device, the device will be able to perform every function of a native heart as a Complete Artificial Heart.
According to Fleur Upton, the team’s project manager, students are developing practical problem-solving skills while assisting in the research of improved heart failure treatments. “We are fortunate to have a lot of incredibly intriguing student teams here at Bath, but in our case the idea that our work might potentially benefit seriously ill people is really enticing,” team member Francisco Nabais adds.
A variety of cutting-edge medical-grade materials, robotics technology, and features, such as automated flow rate adjustment to react like a genuine heart do, are all included in the artificial heart that the Bath team is developing.
“It’s inspiring to see the work the team is doing and the attitude they’re adopting,” says Dr. Katharine Fraser, a Senior Professor in Mechanical Engineering and the team’s academic supervisor. my own investigation is in the field of artificial heart and vascular technologies, and while they have existed for a few years now it’s wonderful to see how the team is approaching the same problems we researchers are investigating.
“Medical engineering and technologies like these have massive industrial potential, so as well as gaining great problem-solving and management experience in entering the competition, the team are also building really relevant skills for their future careers.”
