A new Focus article delves into the ways in which soft robotics could aid the development of assistive technologies that could benefit people with disabilities and the population at large. Notably, the origin of soft robotics itself can be traced back to disability-related innovations, since the first pneumatic artificial muscle was designed to restore hand mobility after polio-induced paralysis. Since then, scientists have developed several soft assistive devices, including cardiac ventricular sleeves that pump the heart, wearable exosuits for hip support, and multiline braille readers that can be used in dirty environments. Ronald Heisser and colleagues also discuss how solutions invented to accommodate the needs of a subset of people can eventually enhance the quality of life of the general community. For example, innovations such as audiobooks and text messaging were initially designed to be assistive technologies but are now a part of everyday life. The authors recommend that researchers collaborate with disabled communities to facilitate inclusive design practices and to implement meaningful feedback for improved assistive technologies. “We anticipate that soft robotic solutions will organically evolve from a more intimate relationship between individuals and researchers, increasing the likelihood of both assistive innovation and soft robotics invention, especially to mitigate challenges in everyday domains of life,” Heisser et al. write.  

A new heart valve stent can expand on its own, offering the potential to keep up with the rapidly growing hearts of babies and toddlers with relevant congenital conditions one day. Preclinical tests involving piglets showed the device doubled in size as the animals matured. The stent, which relies on a spring-like expansion mechanism, could eliminate the need for repeat surgeries in pediatric patients. Valve defects – which typically necessitate prosthetic placement – make up 20% to 30% of all babies born with congenital heart conditions. However, babies’ hearts develop rapidly, doubling in diameter by the time they are 6 years old. This means prosthetics must be replaced frequently through surgery. Now, Giselle Ventura and colleagues have designed a stent made from a superelastic material called nitinol that could reduce the need for ongoing surgical interventions. Essentially, as the heart matures, it compresses the device less, enabling the device to spread like a spring. Beyond bench tests and modeling, Ventura et al. tested the device in vivo. In piglets, it broadened from 8 to 9 millimeters in diameter at implantation to around 13 millimeters after 6 weeks, showing proportional growth with the piglets’ hearts. Ventura et al. also confirmed the stent’s utility in a cryopreserved human femoral vein graft as a proxy for a valve. “This strategy may ultimately unlock a clinically transformative pathway—not only for pediatric valve replacement, but for the broader challenge of designing implants for growing organs,” writes Jonathan Butcher in a related Focus.

Researchers at Kumamoto University have discovered that behavioral changes during the COVID-19 pandemic—particularly widespread mask-wearing—may have reduced the risk of certain types of heart attacks triggered by air pollution.

A new artificial intelligence-based approach can detect fatty deposits inside coronary arteries using optical coherence tomography (OCT) images.