Figure 3.

Heart simulator experimental setup. (a) Diagram of the custom left heart simulator with stationary papillary muscles. From Imbrie-Moore [8], used with permission from Elsevier. (b) Picture of the dual Stewart platform system sewn to papillary muscles of a porcine mitral valve to mimic the motion of the heart during ex vivo cardiac simulation experiments. (c) High-resolution FBG strain gauge sensor instrumenting a chordae tendineae; the sensor is calibrated to correlate strain to force. The chord is severed between the two suture attachment points, denoted by red arrows, to transmit all force through the sensor.