Scientists have 3D-printed a soft, artificial heart made of silicone that beats almost like a human heart, putting us another step closer to replacing damaged human hearts without the need for a transplant.

With about 26 million people worldwide suffering from heart failure, and a global shortage of donors, being able to custom-make artificial hearts would be an invaluable solution to a perennial, long-term problem.

The team behind the artificial heart, from ETH Zurich in Switzerland, says its prototype heart can beat in a very natural way for about half an hour before the materials break down, and the researchers are working hard to improve their new invention.

"[Our] goal is to develop an artificial heart that is roughly the same size as the patient's own one and which imitates the human heart as closely as possible in form and function," says one of the team, Nicholas Cohrs.