Who is Monash HeartHack?

Monash HeartHack (MHH) is a biomedical engineering student project team developing a novel total artificial heart as part of the annual international Heart Hackathon Competition. The team was founded in 2022, with over 100 undergraduate students in engineering and science having contributed to this cause, and 30 dedicated members in 2025.  This competition runs alongside the International Society for Mechanical Circulatory Support Conference, an established international forum for research, development, clinical use and social acceptance of rotary blood pumps and all related forms of mechanical circulatory support. 

What is a Total Artificial Heart?

Over 64 million people are affected by heart failure worldwide [1], heart transplantation has been the gold standard of care. With large transplant waiting lists, and a lack of organ supply, an alternative to this is an mechanical feat known as a Total Artificial Heart (TAH). A TAH is a  device that replaces the heart, either entirely or partially, and facilitates blood circulation through the body.

2025 MHH-TAH

MHH aims to design a viable artificial heart capable of sustaining vital bodily functions for at least two years and support patients awaiting transplant. Our key design objectives are biocompatibility, high efficiency, and user comfort.  The device is a diaphragm pump that utilises reciprocal pistons to displace a polymer membrane. A lightweight axial PCB motor drives the displacement, and is powered by a wireless, through-skin energy transfer system, known as Transcutaneous Energy Transfer (TET).  While pulsatile artificial hearts have long-existed, our design introduces a novel actuation approach. Existing systems rely on pneumatic (Syncardia) or hydraulic (Abiocor) displacement, whereas our design achieves pulsatile flow using a high-efficiency electric motor and diaphragm.

How PCBWay can help:

Our PCB motor is a novel and efficient actuator for the pulsatile displacement mechanism, which is the key to a diaphragm pump. By utilising TET, we eliminate the need for through-skin drivelines, making the device fully implantable. Both of these components are designed by our team of undergraduate mechanical and electrical engineering students. 

With the support of PCBWay, the team can refine and develop the device further to test different topologies and learn through hands-on, practical PCB design. The concepts that the team is exploring is cutting-edge biomedical engineering research, with potential to change the landscape of Total Artificial Hearts and promote more undergraduate students into entering the life-saving field of Cardiovascular Engineering. 

To keep up with our progress, see our social media below:

Website: https://www.mymi.org.au/monash-heart-hack

LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/in/monash-heart-hack-team

Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/monashhearthack

[1] G. Savarese, P. M. Becher, L. H. Lund, P. Seferovic, G. M. C. Rosano, and A. J. S. Coats, “Global Burden of Heart failure: a Comprehensive and Updated Review of Epidemiology,” Cardiovascular Research, vol. 118, no. 17, Feb. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvac013.

• Cardiovascular Engineering
• Biotechnology
• Biomedical engineering
• Total Artificial Heart
• Medtech