Nuclear mini batteries are small, maintenance-free and durable. Russian researchers have found a way without dangerous Gamma radiation, the duration of heart pacemakers could be significantly extended.
On the way to medically usable nuclear batteries Russian researchers have achieved a major technological progress. They managed the radioactive isotope Nickel-63 as a possible energy source in a gas centrifuge to more than 69 per cent enrich. The state Russian manufacturer of nuclear fuel with shared materials TVEL in Moscow recently. The degree of enrichment of the life of the battery depends. Even in 2019, to be achieved in the research plant in Zelenogorsk in Siberia, an enrichment of about 80 percent. According to TVEL compact nuclear batteries with a lifespan of up to 50 years, currently in Trend in instrument making and radio electronics.
Nuclear-powered micro-batteries could be used not only in space, military, or industrial plants, but also in “cardiac pacemakers and other bio-stimulators”, JSC “TVEL”. Because so far, the batteries of the heart to keep the pacemaker only about five to ten years.
Safe Radiation
The electricity is produced at nuclear mini-batteries such as in the nuclear power plant as a result of the energy development nuclear fission, but rather from the natural decay of man-made radioisotopes such as Nickel-63 or Tritium. The artificially produced isotope Ni-63 has a half-life of 100 years. It was divided into a “soft Beta radiation without the use of harmful Gamma radiation,” said TVEL. In order for the use of the medicine in question. To Shield this radiation in a simple plastic packaging, according to the Federal office for radiation protection (BfS) “already”.
More:Implanted life-saver: The pacemaker is 60
The Swede Arne Larson was awarded in 1958 the first implanted pacemaker
New to the idea of nuclear-powered pacemaker is not. The mid-1970s, several patients in the US, but in Germany, too, had been planted batteries with the isotope Promethium-147, said the BfS. It did, however, problems of size, lifespan and shielding against radiation.
The US space Agency Nasa has long been used as nuclear batteries – so-called RTGs (Radioiosotope Thermoelectric generator) as a source of energy for plants in space. Most of the time, a very strong alpha emitter Plutonium-238 is used. With such a battery of the Mars Rover Curiosity is driving around. The Soviet Union provided earlier also lighthouses and other remote systems with RTGs.
af/fs (dpa)
More: radio-active substances on the track
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The heart – a-beating miracleMiracle of nature
The heart is a miracle of nature: The fist-shaped hollow muscle contracts about seventy times a Minute and pumps so on the day of up to 10,000 liters through the body. And for a lifetime. If necessary – while Jogging, for example – transported to the heart of even five times as much blood through the body.
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The heart – a-beating miracleDouble The Work
Actually, our heart consists of two pumps. Because there is not only a circulatory system, but two. The right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs, where it will refuel itself with oxygen. At the same time, the left ventricle transports the same amount of blood throughout the body. Not so easy. Because in the systemic circulation is much higher pressure than the pulmonary circulation.
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The heart – a-beating miracleBoom, Boom
Each half of the Heart consists of an atrium and a Ventricle. The blood can only flow in one direction, as between the Atria and the chambers and between the chambers and the subsequent vessels of the heart valves (green), which work like check valves.
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The heart – a-beating miracleReal Muscle Work
The heart is just a muscle but a very special one. It is similar to those in the Arm and the leg, because he can pull just as fast and powerful. But he is especially persevering, and not tired. In addition, all of the heart muscle are coupled to cells to each other, so that always the whole heart muscle contracted at the same time.
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The heart – a-beating miracleNatural Pacemaker
Try to stop your heart by willpower the Beat! This doesn’t work, because the heart is not controlled by nerves, but its own clock has a Special muscle cells in the sinus node periodically produce a small Stromstroß that spreads quickly through the whole of the heart and contract. The sinus node is defective, the AV-node.
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The heart – a-beating miracleFrom the clock
The heart of the rhythm, for example, in ventricular fibrillation, it is not more relaxed, but remains constantly tense. Then the Organ can pump no more blood. A shock to the transmitter, the Defibrillator stops the life-threatening permanent excitation in the heart, so the natural cycle can take on donors. Even a layman can operate the device.
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The heart – a-beating miracleLife saver
A patient’s heart beats too slow, an artificial pacemaker. The device generates electrical impulses and transmits them to the heart muscle. For the first time implanted Doctors a pacemaker in 1958. A modern pacemaker has a function of duration of between five and twelve years of age, with an average of eight years
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The heart – a-beating miracleOpen heart
To be able to heart surgery, must put a stop to the Doctors for a short time and the cycle shut down – actually, a death sentence. But in 50 years, scientists solved the Dilemma: you developed the heart-lung machine. The device takes over for a short time, the function of the heart and lungs, enriches the blood with oxygen and pumps it through the body.
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The heart – a-beating miracleThrough the groin into the heart
The modern medicine allows doctors to examine the heart or to operate it without the patient’s chest cut open. To do this, the doctor performs a cardiac catheterization – a thin plastic tube through the bar, bend of the elbow or wrist, and pushes the tube through veins or arteries to the heart. The Patient is before a local anaesthetic.
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The heart – a-beating miracleFoldable Heart Valve
Is one of the heart valves is broken or worn out, a new one. Doctors refer to biological replacement of the pig or mechanical heart valves made of metal. Meanwhile, there are also artificial heart valves, which are collapsible (see photo) and therefore is minimally invasive using a catheter. Open heart surgery is no longer necessary.
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The heart – a-beating miracleClogged Vessels
The coronary arteries supply the heart muscle with blood, i.e. nutrients and oxygen. One of these vessels becomes clogged, no longer dies perfused tissue – a heart attack! With a Bypass, the cardiac surgeon bridged the narrowed site (green in the picture). For this, he takes a vein of the patient, which is no longer used, or a vascular prosthesis made of plastic.
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The heart – a-beating miracleLife saver metal
A coronary vessel is narrowed, you can introduce the doctor to a catheter in the blood vessel, and the constriction with a balloon dilating. Thus, the vessel pulls behind back, holding it with a Stent to open: these are fine tubes, made of metal, which support the blood vessel wall from the inside. The tubes can also be coated with drugs.
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The heart – a-beating miracleWhen your heart no longer wants to
The first heart transplant conducted by heart surgeons in the year 1967. At that time a Sensation. Meanwhile, the OP is no longer a rarity: a year transplant Doctors in the world, a few Thousand donor hearts from deceased people. The recipient must take life-long medication to prevent the body rejecting the foreign Organ.
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The heart – a-beating miracleLiving on credit
Donor hearts are scarce. If your heart is not functioning properly, such as in the case of a failure, it can be with an artificial heart support. The diseased heart remains in the body, it is supported by an implanted pump. Drive and power supply to the pump outside of the body.
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The heart – a-beating miracleAn artificial heart
Dream of the researchers is an artificial heart, the diseased heart of the patient is replaced in its entirety. It can be used without connecting hoses to the outside world into the body and maintenance-free for many years to beat. Prototypes already exist.
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Mars Rover Curiosity: For the past five years on the search for extraterrestrial lifeThe Robot Giant
Curiosity is the largest and most modern of all the Mars Rover. He landed on 6. August 2012 on Mars, has travelled well since then 17 kilometers and is still extremely fit. His energy he gets from a radioactive isotope battery. To him, the power goes out, so practically never. Curiosity is a complete science lab on wheels.
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Mars Rover Curiosity: For the past five years on the search for extraterrestrial lifeImpressive Interior
Curiosity has a special spectrometer that can analyze it with Laser-support of samples from the distance. A built-in meteorological Station that measures temperature, but also atmospheric pressure, humidity, radiation and wind speed. In addition, the robot has a unit of analysis for the determination of organic Compounds – always on the search for extraterrestrial life.
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Mars Rover Curiosity: For the past five years on the search for extraterrestrial lifeDon’t just scratch the surface
The evidence that life on Mars would be theoretically possible, has succeeded to the Rover. But he has not yet been found. The robotic arm of Curiosity has a drill. Here, he takes of 2013, a sample of the yellow knife Bay Galekraters.
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Mars Rover Curiosity: For the past five years on the search for extraterrestrial lifeOff to the lab!
The sophisticated technology of Curiosity, it allows for the first time, to fill the samples obtained in unterschiedi most analysis devices. First, the soil sample passes through a filter system. Then, the particles are sorted by Vibration in different grain sizes, and a wide variety of analysis equipment is distributed.
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Mars Rover Curiosity: For the past five years on the search for extraterrestrial lifeTiny Predecessor
The predecessors were significantly smaller: At the 4. In July 1997, the NASA Mars back of the Rover Sojourner, his first inch on the red planet. It was the first Time that a mobile robot was virtually alone on the road. It was equipped with an x-ray spectrometer for the chemical analysis of the soil and with optical cameras.
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Mars Rover Curiosity: For the past five years on the search for extraterrestrial lifeSize comparison of the Rover generations
In this photo, NASA employees in addition to models of three-Mars-Rover – generations. The small one in the front of the Sojourner – 10.6 kg is not much bigger than a toy car and a maximum of one cm/s. Opportunity weighs 185 kg more than an electric wheelchair. Curiosity brings with 900 kg as much as a small car on the scale. The two large, reaching about four to five cm/s.
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Mars Rover Curiosity: For the past five years on the search for extraterrestrial lifeAlmost four months in use
Up to 27. September 1997, Sojourner was active. A good 100 meters, he has his life back. Here is one of the last photos taken by the lander Pathfinder of your companion is nine days before the reception broke off. The battery probably did not withstand the low night temperatures.
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Mars Rover Curiosity: For the past five years on the search for extraterrestrial lifePaving the way for the technology of Tomorrow
Without the experience with the Rover Sojourner, the following three Mars Rover missions would have been hardly conceivable. 2004 left NASA two identical robots: Spirit and Opportunity. Spirit lasted six years and managed to 7.7 miles. The robot is defeated, the mountains, took soil samples and supernatant Winter and sand storms. Opportunity is still active today.
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Mars Rover Curiosity: For the past five years on the search for extraterrestrial lifeMany technical refinements
Opportunity made as early as 2015, the Marathon distance of 42 kilometres, and thus has still a considerable Distance ahead of Curiosity. The robot has three different spectrometers, as well as 3D cameras. He is currently in the Perseverance Valley on the move – the “valley of perseverance”. The robot itself has proved to be after more than 13 years as a very insistent and persistent.
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Mars Rover Curiosity: For the past five years on the search for extraterrestrial lifeLandscapes as Inspiration
This picture was taken by the mast camera of Curiosity. The latest Mars Rover is to remain in use for five years and also much longer. Somehow the surface of Mars looks not – so-unusual- reminds us of deserts on our planet. Should be the reason for itchy feet – or do we leave Mars, but the better the robots?