{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,6]],"date-time":"2026-10-06T06:34:03Z","timestamp":1791268443870,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":0,"publisher":"SMW Supporting Association","issue":"4950","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,5]],"date-time":"2011-12-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1323043200000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Swiss Med Wkly"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Severe  heart failure and cerebral stroke are broadly associated with the impairment of  muscular function that conventional treatments struggle to restore. New  technologies enable the construction of \u201csmart\u201d materials that could be of  great help in treating diseases where the main problem is muscle weakness.  These materials \u201cbehave\u201d similarly to biological systems, because the material directly  converts energy, for example electrical energy into movement. The extension and  contraction occur silently like in natural muscles. The real challenge is to  transfer this amazing technology into devices that restore or replace the  mechanical function of failing muscle. Cardiac assist devices based on  artificial muscle technology could envelope a weak heart and temporarily improve  its systolic function, or, if placed on top of the atrium, restore the atrial  kick in chronic atrial fibrillation. Artificial sphincters could be used to  treat urinary incontinence after prostatectomy or faecal incontinence associated  with stomas. Artificial muscles can restore the ability of patients with facial  paralysis due to stroke or nerve injury to blink. Smart materials could be used  to construct an artificial oesophagus including peristaltic movement and lower oesophageal  sphincter function to replace the diseased oesophagus thereby avoiding the need  for laparotomy to mobilise stomach or intestine. In conclusion, in the near future,  smart devices will integrate with the human body to fill functional gaps due to  organ failure, and so create a human  chimera.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.4414\/smw.2011.13311","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,14]],"date-time":"2011-12-14T17:30:37Z","timestamp":1323883837000},"page":"w13311","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["Artificial muscle: the human chimera is the  future"],"prefix":"10.57187","volume":"141","author":[{"given":"Piergiorgio","family":"Tozzi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"36756","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,5]]},"container-title":["Swiss Medical Weekly"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/smw.ch\/index.php\/smw\/article\/download\/1397\/1678","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/smw.ch\/index.php\/smw\/article\/download\/1397\/1679","content-type":"text\/html","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/smw.ch\/index.php\/smw\/article\/download\/1397\/1678","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,8,15]],"date-time":"2025-08-15T03:23:23Z","timestamp":1755228203000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/smw.ch\/index.php\/smw\/article\/view\/1397"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,5]]},"references-count":0,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4950","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,5]]}},"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.4414\/smw.2011.13311","relation":{},"ISSN":["1424-3997"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1424-3997","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2011,12,5]]}}}