Aerospace Engineering researchers are developing a method to harvest the energy of the human heart to power pacemakers, a technology they hope can translate to other medical devices. Their research, which began with studying how to power wireless sensors in aircraft wings, could ultimately eliminate the need for costly and painful surgeries to replace the batteries of an implanted medical device.
ABOUT THE PROFESSOR: U-M Aerospace Engineering Department Chair Dan Inman is active in research involving smart materials and structures as applied to morphing aircraft, energy harvesting, structural health monitoring and clearance control in jet engines. He currently has projects in gust alleviation in UAVs, cable harnessed satellites and wind turbine blade monitoring.
