Advertisement

ICYMI: A soft robot sleeve to keep your heart going

No Temple of Doom doctoring required.

Today on In Case You Missed It: A soft robotic device made by Harvard and Boston Children's Hospital researchers has been tested on pigs and so far, seems quite promising in treating heart disease. The robotic heart wraps around parts of existing tissue and helps squeeze, keeping the blood moving. But unlike other existing devices that are inserted into the heart, this just goes over the top. Its makers believe that will lead to better outcomes for patients that use it, since cycling blood through a medical device can lead to all kinds of complications, from infection to blood clots. No word yet on when they'll begin tests in humans.

The video about the wearable solar cell collector is here and if I can recommend one good read, let it be the e-waste surge in Asia the last five years.

Programming Note: I'll be out for the next six weeks to recover from a shoulder surgery, so please enjoy the talented fill-ins. The show will be cut back to two episodes a week in my absence. But because of the marvels of pre-planning, you can still see me in Engadget's newest show, The Future IRL. It premieres on Tuesday.

As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @engadget or @mskerryd.