Drug Delivery Micropump with Built-In Monitoring

We report on the fabrication of the first MEMS micropump including an integrated pressure sensor. The signal of this sensor allows direct insight into the pump's operating dynamics and enables real-time self-monitoring. We demonstrate the changes in the sensor signal under different pumping conditions, including the presence of air in the pumping chamber and a downstream occlusions. Deviations from normal operating conditions create clear and characteristic deviations from the normal signal. These deviations will be exploited to detect extraordinary or faulty pumping conditions during use.