A system for generating a mechanical wave is disclosed. The system comprises a camshaft having plurality of rotatable cams, serially mounted on a shaft along an axis of an elastic tubular shell to form a varying phase angle along the shaft. The system further comprises a plurality of cam followers arranged circumferentially about each cam, such that a rotary motion of the cams generates a linear motion of the cam followers to radially bias in internal wall the shell. The variation of the phase angle is selected to generate a three-dimensional traveling wave along the shell.

A peristaltic transport device comprising a tube member having an inner space to receive material, the member includes a series of repeating sections wherein each of the sections includes a plurality of bladders to selectively occlude portions of the inner space according to a defined peristaltic sequence to transport the material through the inner space. An actuator assembly is coupled to the tube member to control the selective occlusion of the inner space by selectively expanding and contracting ones of the plurality of bladders according to the defined peristaltic sequence. The actuator assembly simultaneously controls corresponding ones of the plurality of bladders across the series of repeating sections.

A liquid supply system includes first and second bellows 41 and 42 arranged in series in an expanding/contracting direction thereof in a vessel 12 and having first end portions respectively, which are close to each other and fixed to an inner wall of the vessel 12, and also having second end portions respectively, which are distant from each other and movable in the expanding/contracting direction. An inner space of the vessel 12 located outside the first bellows 41 serves as a first pump chamber P1. An inner space of the vessel 12 located outside the second bellows 42 serves as a second pump chamber P2. An inner space of the vessel 12 located inside the first and second bellows 41 and 42 serves as a sealed space R1. A shaft 15 to which the respective second end portions of the first and second bellows 41 and 42 are fixed is reciprocally moved to expand/contract the first and second bellows 41 and 42.

A guidance unit comprises a first pipe part and a second pipe part, an inner space diameter of the second pipe part is smaller than an inner space diameter of the first pipe part, causing a cross-sectional area of a second flow space perpendicular to a pipe axis of the second pipe part smaller than that of a first flow space perpendicular to a pipe axis of the first pipe part; one end of the pipe axis of the second pipe part and one end of the pipe axis of the first pipe part are connected in series with each other and spaced apart from each other by a first angle, so that the second flow space communicates with the first flow space; thereby, a pressure of an external fluid in the second flow space is greater than a pressure of the external fluid in the first flow space.

A method of transporting a material includes at least one series of interconnected tube sections that can be opened or closed. At least one downstream tube section holds the material to be transported. A liquid jet is generated which accelerates the held material upstream out of at least the first downstream tube section into at least one opening upstream tube section which then holds a material part waiting for a next liquid jet to propagate that part to the next upstream tube section.

A pump unit and a pump capable of detecting characteristics of a conveyance article and a method for detecting the characteristics of the conveyance article. A pump unit includes an outer cylinder; an inner cylinder disposed on an inner circumference side of the outer cylinder; and a pressure supply chamber provided between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder, the pump unit being configured to convey a conveyance article in the inner cylinder by supplying a pressurizing medium into the pressure supply chamber and thereby causing the inner cylinder to expand inwardly in a radial direction, in which the pump unit further includes a conveyance article information acquiring device configured to acquire information on the conveyance article in the inner cylinder at a time when the inner cylinder is expanded.

A fluid control device includes piezoelectric pumps and a substrate. The substrate includes dielectric base members. Each of the dielectric base members has a recess and a through-hole. Each of the dielectric base members is laminated such that the recesses of the dielectric base members partially overlap and communicate with each other. A portion of the recesses not overlapping with the dielectric base member serve as a first opening and a second opening, respectively, to the outside. The first opening and the second opening open in opposite directions in the lamination direction. The first opening and the second opening have shapes that may be fit to each other. The piezoelectric pump is on the dielectric base member to communicate with the through-hole, and the piezoelectric pump is on the dielectric base member to communicate with the through-hole.

A longitudinal stretching based wave pumping system and corresponding methods. A stretchable tube is configured to hold a fluid. An actuator is coupled to the tube. The actuator is configured to longitudinally stretch and release the stretchable tube to create waves on the stretchable tube and within the fluid that propagate and reflect at one or more reflection sites along the stretchable tube to create wave pumping, which drives the fluid and generates net flow in a flow direction.