A dynamometer for nature's engines

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