Electrical Signal Response System- Idea feasibility and feedback

Using Arduino Project Guidance
1

I am working on my senior design project in my last year of electrical engineering as an undergraduate student this year and my group has chosen an incredibly ambitious, somewhat foolish project of trying to run a pacemaker on energy generated in the body. While this is of course a perhaps foolish project to even attempt, before we even try to accomplish this we need to think of a proper testing mechanism. I said I would be responsible for this endeavor as I have previous experience (limited) with microcontrollers.

Since we can obviously not implant a device we are testing into a person (and it would probably kill them anyways) I figured the best would be to simulate the electrical impulse the heart uses to beat and and the pacemaker uses as a way to track if it needs to jolt the heart. In this way we could use this is a proof of concept before delving further into the project. Is this a possible to create with an arduino? I have ample free time and decent resources at my disposal but I have no idea where to start this. If this is a bad idea and alternatives could be given then feedback would be appreciated.

2

I'd start from already existing projects, like
https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/ad8232-heart-rate-monitor-hookup-guide

3

Well, not so much a bad idea, but sort of vague. What energy generated in the body, exactly? Was there something you heard about, or...? Since the whole thing rests on that, you should look at that first before you try to re-engineer the pacemaker.

4

Do I understand you right, that you want to use a human as a battery for powering a pacemaker?

5

DrDiettrich:
Do I understand you right, that you want to use a human as a battery for powering a pacemaker?

I think the project is to investigate the possibility of doing that, not actually doing it, unless it proves possible.

In either case, surely one has to understand how much voltage and current is needed, and OP can't seem to determine that, even though he/she is an electrical engineer in training.