Engineers design a soft, implantable ventilator

For many of us, the act of breathing comes naturally. Behind the scenes, our diaphragm—the dome-shaped muscle that lies just beneath the ribcage—works like a slow and steady trampoline, pushing down to create a vacuum for the lungs to expand and draw air in, then relaxing as air is pushed out. In this way, the diaphragm automatically controls our lung capacity, and is the major muscle responsible for our ability to breathe.