A Compact Peristaltic Pump Based on Magneto-Elastic Hysteresis with Single Pneumatic Control

2026-04-23

AI Summary

This study addresses the structural complexity and control challenges of conventional peristaltic pumps, which rely on mechanical, pneumatic, or magnetic actuation and struggle to balance compactness with efficient fluid transport. The authors propose a soft diaphragm pump leveraging magnetoelastic hysteresis, achieving contactless peristaltic motion with only a single pneumatic input and embedded passive magnets. By developing a simplified nonlinear dynamic model and integrating computational fluid dynamics simulations with experimental validation, this work pioneers the fusion of magnetoelastic hysteresis with single-input pneumatic control, substantially simplifying both system architecture and control logic. The resulting prototype successfully replicates the theoretically predicted hysteresis behavior and flow field characteristics, demonstrating a compact, controllable soft pump design that ensures safe and efficient fluid delivery.

Technology Category

• Intelligent Robots: Behavior Learning & Control
• Machine Learning: Hardware-aware ML
• Multiagent Systems: Distributed Problem Solving

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Graph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Efficient manipulation of static and dynamic Web-related graphs

Abstract

Pumping fluids is fundamental to a wide range of industrial, environmental, and biomedical applications. Among various pumping mechanisms, peristaltic pumps enable efficient and safe fluid transport by deforming an elastic tube without direct contact with the working fluid. Although previous studies have introduced mechanical, pneumatic, or magnetic actuations to drive membrane deformation, these approaches often lead to complex pump architectures and control schemes. In this study, we present a soft membrane pump that achieves peristaltic motion through a single pneumatic input combined with an embedded passive magnet. The actuation mechanism and system dynamics were analyzed and simplified through modeling. Numerical simulations were conducted to predict the internal fluid flow, and the magneto-elastic hysteresis behavior observed in the simulations was successfully validated by experiments with a proof-of-concept prototype.

Problem

• peristaltic pump
• complex architecture
• control scheme
• fluid transport
• soft actuation

Innovation

• peristaltic pump
• magneto-elastic hysteresis
• soft robotics
• pneumatic actuation
• passive magnet