# Prototype development and validation of soft robotic sensor arrays for mapping cardiac arrhythmia

> **NIH NIH R61** · WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV · 2022 · $306,882

## Abstract

ABSTRACT
Roughly 20,000 patients per year are treated with ablation to treat atrial fibrillation (AF) because their condition
cannot be managed by pharmaceuticals alone. While ablation protocols exist that can treat the disease in many
cases, these procedures can be lengthy (2-4 hours) and are only somewhat effective (~60-70% success). This
speed of the procedure is limited by electrophysiology tools, which still require serial mapping of the atrium based
on articulating an electrode (or electrode array) around the patient anatomy. Furthermore, because AF is an
unstable arrhythmia, it is difficult to construct full spatiotemporally resolved electrocardiograms from this type of
serial mapping. The small subset of devices that provide simultaneous mapping of the entire chamber have
serious limitations and often leave large portions of the chamber unmapped. Here, we propose the use of a
flexible and conformal soft robotic sensor array that allows for rapid, efficient and high resolution mapping of the
left atrium for treatment of AF. Our lab has already established prototype devices based in vitro assessments in
patient specific 3D print models. In this proposal, we will develop an optimized prototype, and associated
catheter, based on a series of in vivo surgical and finally, percutaneous large animal studies. Once optimized,
during the R33 phase, we will perform a series of device validation protocols based on ISO and ASTM standards.
Finally, during the R33 phase of the proposal we will validate the system in vivo using large animal models.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10378724
- **Project number:** 5R61HL156153-02
- **Recipient organization:** WEILL MEDICAL COLL OF CORNELL UNIV
- **Principal Investigator:** Simon Dunham
- **Activity code:** R61 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $306,882
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-04-01 → 2023-03-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10378724

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10378724, Prototype development and validation of soft robotic sensor arrays for mapping cardiac arrhythmia (5R61HL156153-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10378724. Licensed CC0.

---

*[NIH grants dataset](/datasets/nih-grants) · CC0 1.0*