Shape-shifting ferrofluid has been used in body armour, but a new prototype is showing that it could help keep people alive more directly. Engineer Chris Suprock and his team from Suprock Technologies in Exeter, New Hampshire, are using ferrofluid to develop an artificial heart with no mechanical parts or motors. The device takes a novel approach by simulating the way a real heart contracts to move fluid. An early prototype is made from an elastic membrane containing ferrofluid fixed to a frame. When an electromagnet underneath is activated, it attracts magnetic particles suspended in the fluid, causing the “skin” to stretch out. Combining a few of these devices could mimic the pumping action of a heart.
