Lungevity

For my year-long senior design project, I worked with a team of six Mechanical Engineering students to develop Lungevity: a biomimetic chest cavity that increases the viability of lungs between harvest and transplant. This device employs near-physiological confinement and negative-pressure ventilation to simulate the movement of lungs inside the human body. This sustains the sensitive network of alveoli that allow lungs to process oxygen, minimizing the risk of of injury to the donor lungs.

The core of the system was created by 3D-printing both the ribcage and diaphragm, matching human dimensions from CT imaging. They are driven using linear actuators, with the top two angled to optimize the complex ribcage movement in a single degree of freedom. This actuation facilitates the volumetric change of the chest cavity for breathing. The 3D-printed diaphragm is overmolded with silicone for physiological consistency and adapts to the bottom of the system through a series of metal flanges. A custom-molded silicone membrane confines the rest of the cavity, connecting to the metal flange system and creating a flexible yet air-tight seal.

The system had three key metrics for success: controlling the breathing rate, matching regional pressures, and limiting strain. Validation occurred through testing on pig lungs. Lungevity was inspired by Dr. Collin Stabler and completed with teammates Quinn Coyle, Victoria Fishman, Caroline Landon, Emily Pugh, and Daniel Shin.