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A dynamometer for nature's engines | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore

Abstract:

Muscle is an amazing natural thermodynamic engine that converts chemical energy into mechanical work. Each muscle twitch is `sparked' by an electrically-released pulse of...Show More

Abstract:

Muscle is an amazing natural thermodynamic engine that converts chemical energy into mechanical work. Each muscle twitch is `sparked' by an electrically-released pulse of calcium ions, which trigger force-development and cell shortening, at the cost of energy and oxygen, and the dissipation of heat. Like other engines, muscle is inefficient at converting chemical energy to mechanical energy; at least 80% of the energy consumed by the muscle is released as heat. When we want to measure or enhance the performance of a human-made engine, such as an internal combustion engine, we typically attach it to a dynamometer-a device that can apply a controlled load to the engine, and measure its fuel consumption and work output. Imagine that we had a similar tool that allowed us to inspect nature's engine-muscle tissue-and thereby measure its energetic performance. Such a tool would allow us to better understand the muscle's work output and energy consumption, diagnose problems with the engine, tune its performance, and observe its response to changes in load, or to additives in its fuel. In this article, we report on our construction of a dynamometer for heart muscle.
Published in: IEEE Instrumentation & Measurement Magazine ( Volume: 22, Issue: 2, April 2019)
Page(s): 10 - 16
Date of Publication: 26 March 2019

ISSN Information:

The University of Auckland, Auckland, Auckland, NZ
Andrew James Taberner (a.taberner@auckland.ac.nz) is an Associate Professor in the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research interests include the development of scientific and medical instruments for measuring tissue structure and function, and for needle-free drug delivery. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, Distinguished Lecturer of the ...Show More
Andrew James Taberner (a.taberner@auckland.ac.nz) is an Associate Professor in the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research interests include the development of scientific and medical instruments for measuring tissue structure and function, and for needle-free drug delivery. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, Distinguished Lecturer of the ...View more
The University of Auckland, Auckland, Auckland, NZ
Poul Michael FØnss Nielsen is a Professor in the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research focuses on using novel instrumentation, detailed computational models, and quantitative descriptions of physical processes to gain a better understanding of human physiology. Many of his projects couple mathematical modelling with innovative instr...Show More
Poul Michael FØnss Nielsen is a Professor in the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research focuses on using novel instrumentation, detailed computational models, and quantitative descriptions of physical processes to gain a better understanding of human physiology. Many of his projects couple mathematical modelling with innovative instr...View more

The University of Auckland, Auckland, Auckland, NZ
Andrew James Taberner (a.taberner@auckland.ac.nz) is an Associate Professor in the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research interests include the development of scientific and medical instruments for measuring tissue structure and function, and for needle-free drug delivery. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society, and current Chair of the New Zealand Chapter of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society.
Andrew James Taberner (a.taberner@auckland.ac.nz) is an Associate Professor in the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research interests include the development of scientific and medical instruments for measuring tissue structure and function, and for needle-free drug delivery. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society, and current Chair of the New Zealand Chapter of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society.View more
The University of Auckland, Auckland, Auckland, NZ
Poul Michael FØnss Nielsen is a Professor in the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research focuses on using novel instrumentation, detailed computational models, and quantitative descriptions of physical processes to gain a better understanding of human physiology. Many of his projects couple mathematical modelling with innovative instrumentation to improve our ability to understand and interpret measurements of complex biological systems, subject to the constraints of well-understood physical conservation and balance laws. He is a member of IEEE and the Secretary of the New Zealand Chapter of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society.
All other contributing authors are or were with the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, the Department of Engineering Science, or the Department of Physiology at the University of Auckland.
Poul Michael FØnss Nielsen is a Professor in the Auckland Bioengineering Institute and Department of Engineering Science at the University of Auckland, New Zealand. His research focuses on using novel instrumentation, detailed computational models, and quantitative descriptions of physical processes to gain a better understanding of human physiology. Many of his projects couple mathematical modelling with innovative instrumentation to improve our ability to understand and interpret measurements of complex biological systems, subject to the constraints of well-understood physical conservation and balance laws. He is a member of IEEE and the Secretary of the New Zealand Chapter of the IEEE Instrumentation and Measurement Society.
All other contributing authors are or were with the Auckland Bioengineering Institute, the Department of Engineering Science, or the Department of Physiology at the University of Auckland.View more

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