Development of insertion-type peristalsis pump using pneumatic artificial muscles

This study aims to develop a new type of peristaltic pump that transports high-viscosity and solid–liquid mixture fluids. Pumps capable of transporting such fluids are essential in various situations such as factory transportation, outdoors, and emergencies. These fluids are conventionally transported by positive-displacement and rotodynamic pumps. However, solid–liquid fluids could collide with the impeller of the rotodynamic pump and thereby damage the pump, whereas the positive-displacement pump must be sufficiently large to apply high pressure to the transported fluid. A small pump that can transport these fluids would save factory space and enable outdoor applications such as dredging operations. Thus, we adopted earthworm peristalsis as a model mechanism of fluid transport within a standard plumbing infrastructure. The insertion-type peristaltic pump developed in this study uses an artificial rubber muscle to achieve an earthworm-like mechanism. The capability and energy efficiency of the mechanism is evaluated in water transportation experiments. Graphical abstract