At SR-TEK, we are fortunate to work with customers and partners from a wide range of industries, from research and development to medical technology. Every now and then, a project comes along that captures our attention not only because of the technology involved, but because of the people behind it.

For us, the TONUS project was one of those projects.

TONUS is a student-led research project based at ETH Zurich, bringing together talented young people from engineering, health sciences, and industrial design. Their goal is ambitious: to explore new ways of measuring blood pressure that are more accurate, more comfortable, and capable of continuous monitoring. We personally admire their passion, dedication, and ability to turn an idea into reality.

Over the past months, we had the pleasure of supporting the project by supplying two of our 2-litre transparent vessels. These became part of the test rig developed by the team to simulate physiological conditions and provide a reliable environment for testing their measurement methods.

The TONUS Project and Its Testing Challenge

The team’s goal is to improve how blood pressure is measured by developing a method that is continuous, more accurate, and more comfortable than traditional cuff-based systems.

To achieve this, the team needed a testing environment capable of reproducing physiological blood pressure waveforms and providing a reliable platform for validating new measurement methods under realistic conditions. This is where their medical simulation and flow testing setup became central to the project.

Transparent Pressure Vessels in Medical Simulation

Medical simulation systems often require components that can withstand pressure while allowing researchers to observe fluid behaviour and system performance. Transparent pressure vessels are particularly valuable in these applications, providing both visibility and durability during testing.

At SR-TEK, our transparent pressure vessels are manufactured using stainless steel combined with clear acrylic, polycarbonate, or toughened glass cylinders. They are widely used in research, flow visualisation, testing, and development applications where observing processes under pressure is essential.

For the TONUS project, SR-TEK supplied clear and stainless steel custom build vessels that formed part of the team’s testing rig. While only one element within a much larger system, these components helped create the controlled environment needed to simulate physiological conditions and support the project’s development.

Why This Matters for Medical Simulation and Testing

Projects like TONUS highlight an important shift in how medical technologies are developed. Instead of moving directly from concept to clinical environments, there is a growing need for accurate testing platforms that can replicate physiological conditions in a controlled and repeatable way.

This is where flow testing equipment, transparent pressure vessels, and simulation systems play an important role. They help researchers:

• Validate sensing methods early in development
• Reduce uncertainty in biological measurements
• Iterate faster on system design
• Improve eventual clinical reliability

What stood out to us throughout the project was how structured and methodical the development process was. The team consistently tested, adjusted, and improved their system based on real performance data rather than assumptions.

Looking Ahead

As TONUS continues to develop its technology, its testing platform is already supporting multiple measurement approaches and helping researchers make data-driven decisions.

From an SR-TEK perspective, it has been rewarding to see our components integrated into a project that is not only technically ambitious but also focused on addressing real-world healthcare challenges.

We look forward to following the project’s future progress and seeing how today’s research may contribute to tomorrow’s medical technologies.