Heartbeat-Powered Pacemaker Could Eliminate Battery Replacement Surgery

Pacemaker replacement surgeries expose patients to repeated procedural risks and added costs, particularly with leadless intracardiac systems that are difficult to explant once batteries deplete. Battery life typically limits pacing longevity to seven to 10 years, creating a long-term management burden for younger patients. To overcome this limitation, researchers have developed a heartbeat-powered, battery‑free pacemaker intended to operate for the life of the implant. The newly introduced technology aims to eliminate generator changes by harvesting cardiac motion.

Engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison developed an implantable leadless intracardiac pacemaker powered by an oscillating triboelectric nanogenerator. The work was published in Science Advances on August 19, 2026. The device is designed to be charged by a patient’s own heartbeat, with the goal of sustaining reliable pacing without a conventional electrochemical battery.

The nanogenerator was constrained to fit within the battery compartment of the Medtronic Micra leadless intracardiac pacemaker, keeping the overall device dimensions unchanged. It uses paired electrode plates placed above and below the electronics package inside the titanium shell. Copper on one plate and fluorinated ethylene propylene on the other create oppositely charged surfaces; heartbeat-induced compression brings the plates together and their separation generates an electrical charge that powers the pacemaker or is stored in a small onboard capacitor.

Conventional Micra devices devote more than half of their size and weight to a battery that lasts seven to 10 years, after which removal from the right ventricle can be difficult and expired devices may be left in place. Prior alternatives such as tritium batteries, piezoelectric generators, and early triboelectric systems have not produced sufficient power for intracardiac pacing. In laboratory testing, the new nanogenerator achieved a power density of 276.6 microwatts per cubic centimeter, exceeding previous miniaturized piezoelectric and triboelectric approaches.

A prototype was implanted in a pig and observed for one month, during which the nanogenerator powered cardiac stimulation in functional testing and showed biocompatibility without adverse reactions beyond those seen with conventional battery‑powered intracardiac pacemakers. The interdisciplinary team included the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, the UW–Madison Center for Biomedical Swine Research and Innovation, and UW Hospital and Clinics.

Remaining challenges include reduced peak output in vivo due to damping by soft cardiac tissue and the heart’s twisting motion, which differs from the linear movement that maximizes oscillator excursion. The oscillator is reported to be inexpensive and mechanically robust, and the device has been registered with the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, though commercialization will likely take years.

“For a device like this, it's not just about producing energy. Power density is the most important part. You need to get enough power in a small enough volume. With our technology, we achieved a power output density an order of magnitude higher than previous nanogenerators,” said Xudong Wang, a professor of materials science and engineering who oversees Chen’s research.

“This technology shows incredible promise. One of the clinical challenges in managing patients with pacemakers is the need for generator replacement procedures when the battery depletes, which involves reoperation to replace it. I look forward to a world in which we can implant a single device that will last a patient's lifetime, and this is a big step closer to realizing this dream,” said Dr. Daniel Modaff, a cardiac electrophysiologist at UW Hospital and Clinics and co-author of the paper.