Development of a Drive Unit for a Medical Breast Pump

This paper presents a cooperative project, supported by the German government, between the University of Wuppertal and a company in the medical sector. The paper includes the construction of the drive unit and explains the main features of the mechanics and electronics being developed. These pumps are designed for a niche between medical devices and consumer hardware. To enable mobile usage, the new pump must be lighter and smaller than the existing ones. It should also have a water-proof housing for faster disinfection. The pump is designed so that both breasts can be treated individually. An integrated touch display and Bluetooth Low-Energy connectivity shall provide an easy operation and documentation. For predictive maintenance aspects the pump transmits data to a server via LTE.