ValVAD: Validation of Controlled Ventricular Assist Devices by Performance and Reliability Analysis in a Hardware-in-the-Loop Test Bench

• Applicant: Dr.-Ing. Thomas Gwosch
• Subject Area: Engineering Design, Machine Elements, Product Development
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 508271428

A challenge in the development of ventricular assist devices is the control of the heart pump to the physiological condition of the human being as well as the proof that the system works reliably under real operating conditions. Both the control and validation of such assist devices have to be investigated. For the validation of these controlled systems in system integration tests on a test bench, the physiological condition of humans has to be simulated by in-silico models and the environmental conditions for the system under test have to be emulated in a hardware-in-the-loop test bench.The focus of the project is to perform validation of controlled ventricular assist devices with integrated sensors in a hardware-in-the-loop test bench. This includes system integration tests for performance and reliability analysis of the controlled system. The expected scientific insight is the achieved test space as well as the knowledge of the performance and reliability analysis of the closed-loop control of ventricular assist devices with integrated sensors. Key challenges are the integration of the control into the closed-loop control of the heart pump as well as the investigation of simulated disturbances and failures in the validation environment. The research problems investigated in this context may also be relevant for other systems under investigation, so that a transfer at the methodological level is achieved.

• DFG Programme: WBP Fellowship
• International Connection: Switzerland
• Host: Professor Dr.-Ing. Mirko Meboldt