Development of a Peristaltic Pump Based on Bowel Peristalsis using Artificial Rubber Muscle

The transportation of high-viscosity fluid and solid–liquid mixtures is required in various settings, such as food plants and petroleum plants, and in various fields, including the civil engineering field and the medical field. A volume-type pump is often used to transport these fluids. This type of pump is usually quite large, since high pressure is needed to transport large quantities of fluid. Furthermore, it can be difficult to arrange the bent pipes needed by the system, since there is a lot of friction between the fluid and the pipe. Hence, the development of an innovative transport system is desired. We focused on bowel peristalsis as a model for a mechanism that can transport these fluids, such as sludge with little water. In this study, we developed a peristaltic pump based on the bowel mechanism by using artificial rubber muscle and confirmed its capability. In addition, we fabricated a peristaltic pump of six units and conducted liquid transportation experiments as an operational check.