Healthcare / Medical Devices
Smart IV infusion pump: Stepper-driven infusion control with BLE, Wi-Fi and occlusion detection
For an Indian medical-device company we designed a smart IV infusion pump with stepper flow control, occlusion detection and BLE/Wi-Fi monitoring. Completed by early 2025; cost goal ~50% below imported pumps (design target).
What we did: We designed the pump's electronics and control firmware: precision stepper-motor drive, MCU-based infusion control, occlusion detection, a multilingual touchscreen interface, BLE and Wi-Fi connectivity for remote monitoring and alerts, and battery backup, in a modular architecture designed to IEC 60601-1 requirements, with design documentation structured to ISO 13485 expectations.
Medical-device company, India6 monthsTeam of 5
Status: Completed; design handed over for production in India (case study first published January 2025)
Published Last reviewed:
Illustrative imageThe challenge
The client wanted a smart IV infusion pump that costs much less than imported pumps, is built entirely in India, and is designed to the international standards that hospitals and regulators expect. It also had to support wireless monitoring of each infusion and be modular, so new features could be added without replacing the whole device.
Cost against imported pumps
Imported infusion pumps are expensive for Indian hospitals. The pump had to cost far less while keeping accurate flow control.
Medical-device standards
The design had to meet IEC 60601-1 electrical-safety requirements from the start, not as a retrofit, with documentation structured to ISO 13485 expectations. The infusion-pump particular standard IEC 60601-2-24, the alarm standard IEC 60601-1-8 and IEC 62304 for the firmware also apply to this device class.
Wireless infusion tracking
Nurses and clinicians needed to see infusion status and receive alerts remotely, instead of only at the bedside.
Upgrade without replacement
Hospitals wanted a pump that could gain features over time, so the architecture had to be modular.
Impact figures describe the situation before the project, as the client reported it to us; we did not measure them.
Our solution
We designed a microcontroller-based pump that drives the infusion mechanism with a precision stepper motor, adjusts flow in real time, detects occlusions, and reports status over BLE and Wi-Fi. A touchscreen with multilingual support handles local control, and a battery backup keeps the infusion running through a mains interruption.
System architecture
A modular infusion controller with local UI and wireless monitoring.
Infusion control
- Precision stepper-motor drive for flow-rate control
- Microcontroller-based real-time infusion adjustment
- Occlusion detection to catch flow blockages
- Scalable architecture for different infusion therapies
User interface and power
- Touchscreen interface with multilingual support
- Energy-efficient design
- Battery backup for uninterrupted operation
Connectivity
- BLE and Wi-Fi connectivity
- Remote monitoring of infusion status
- Automatic alerts to clinical staff
Key design points
- Flow control
- Precision stepper motor
- Controller
- Microcontroller-based, real-time adjustment
- Safety function
- Occlusion detection with alerts
- Wireless
- BLE + Wi-Fi
- Interface
- Touchscreen, multilingual
- Power
- Mains with battery backup
- Standards framing
- Designed to IEC 60601-1 requirements; documentation structured to ISO 13485 expectations
What we delivered
- Stepper-motor control for accurate flow-rate management
- Real-time infusion adjustment on the microcontroller
- Occlusion detection and alarm handling
- BLE and Wi-Fi links for remote monitoring and alerts
- Touchscreen UI with multilingual support
- Power management with battery backup
- Modular architecture for future upgrades
Outcome
We completed the design in six months and handed it over for production in India. The roughly 50% cost reduction against imported infusion pumps is the project's cost goal and is labelled as a design target. Rapid Circuitry holds no certificates; the design was built to IEC 60601-1 requirements with documentation structured to ISO 13485 expectations, and certification testing is the device maker's step at accredited labs, as is CDSCO licensing under the Medical Devices Rules, 2017.
How to read the labels: Design target = an engineering target, not a field measurement; Client-reported baseline = the client's own figure for the situation before the project; we did not measure it. Figures without a label are specifications or project scope.
Cost against imported pumps
Design target~50% lower
Cost goal for the design
Design duration
6 months
Team of 5
Standards
IEC 60601-1
Designed to its requirements, with documentation structured to ISO 13485 expectations; not a certification claim
Patient-safety features
Occlusion alarms + remote alerts
Real-time status and automatic alerts over BLE and Wi-Fi
Technologies used
- Stepper motor control
- Microcontroller
- BLE
- Wi-Fi
- Touchscreen UI
- Occlusion detection
- Battery backup
- IEC 60601-1
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