Respiratory diseases such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) affect millions of people around the world. The most common treatment approach is to take an inhaled corticosteroid as needed with a dry-powder inhaler or a metered-dose inhaler. Unfortunately, rates of inhaler mishandling and misuse are staggeringly high and as a result, the majority of those suffering from asthma and COPD are not receiving proper treatment. There are a myriad of ways inhalers are mishandled and misused, but one significant challenge results from the timing miscoordination of the medicine dispersion and inhalation breath. To address this, the current study successfully demonstrates the feasibility of automating the timing of the medicine dispersion by the addition of a Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuator and a differential pressure sensor into the casing of a traditional metered-dose inhaler. To meet actuation requirements and reliably depress the inhaler cartridge, the SMA wire was routed around a set of miniature bearings within the casing of the inhaler. By demonstrating that a metered-dose inhaler may be actuated by SMA without a significant increase of its weight or size, this study provides a practical technological approach to reducing the improper treatment of asthma and COPD due to inhaler misuse.
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ASME 2017 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems
September 18–20, 2017
Snowbird, Utah, USA
Conference Sponsors:
- Aerospace Division
ISBN:
978-0-7918-5826-4
PROCEEDINGS PAPER
Shape Memory Alloy Actuation of a Metered-Dose Inhaler Available to Purchase
Leslie Weaver,
Leslie Weaver
Lafayette College, Easton, PA
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Brent Utter
Brent Utter
Lafayette College, Easton, PA
Search for other works by this author on:
Leslie Weaver
Lafayette College, Easton, PA
Brent Utter
Lafayette College, Easton, PA
Paper No:
SMASIS2017-3853, V002T04A016; 7 pages
Published Online:
November 9, 2017
Citation
Weaver, L, & Utter, B. "Shape Memory Alloy Actuation of a Metered-Dose Inhaler." Proceedings of the ASME 2017 Conference on Smart Materials, Adaptive Structures and Intelligent Systems. Volume 2: Modeling, Simulation and Control of Adaptive Systems; Integrated System Design and Implementation; Structural Health Monitoring. Snowbird, Utah, USA. September 18–20, 2017. V002T04A016. ASME. https://doi.org/10.1115/SMASIS2017-3853
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