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Other Uses Envisioned for Valveless Pumping

Valveless pumping may also occur in the human embryo until the third week of gestation. At this stage of development, the valves of the heart have not yet formed; however, there is a net flow in the circulatory system that is somehow generated by the beating of the heart.

Modeling of valveless pumping may also aid in the design of valveless pumps for microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices. In these devices, fluid motion must be produced without moving anything inside the fluid. A MEMS device, for example, might be used to control when and how much insulin is released into the body of a diabetic.

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