1 Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences, Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
2 Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, Product Development Group Zurich, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Soft Robot. 2019 Apr;6(2):206-213. doi: 10.1089/soro.2018.0057. Epub 2018 Dec 1.
We present a long-term performance study on a pneumatically actuated soft pump (SP). The pump was manufactured by adapting rubber compression technology. Important parameters influencing pump performance (e.g., inflation and deflation times and fluid outlet pressures) were studied. Based on design improvement and material selection, SP durability could be enhanced for over 1 million actuation cycles. This resulted in conveyance of more than 140,000 L of water in less than 12 days. In a next step, we analyzed our SP on a hybrid mock circulation and achieved 1.8 L/min against 10 kPa (75 mmHg). analysis by color Doppler imaging further allowed real-time assessment of the SP's diaphragm motion. We then summarized our findings for future SP development with particular use as a heart replacement therapy. This work demonstrates a new manufacturing approach for future development of long-term stable SPs.
我们展示了一种气动驱动软泵（SP）的长期性能研究。该泵是通过采用橡胶压缩技术制造的。研究了影响泵性能的重要参数（例如充气和放气时间以及流体出口压力）。通过设计改进和材料选择，SP 的耐用性可以增强超过 100 万次的致动循环。这导致在不到 12 天的时间内输送了超过 140000 升的水。在下一步中，我们在混合模拟循环上分析了我们的 SP，并在 10 kPa（75 mmHg）下达到了 1.8 L/min。彩色多普勒成像进一步允许实时评估 SP 的隔膜运动。然后，我们总结了我们的发现，为未来的 SP 开发，特别是作为心脏替代治疗。这项工作展示了一种新的制造方法，用于未来开发长期稳定的 SP。
