Scared of gastroenterology?This capsule-sized robot is here to save you

AsiaIndustrial NetNews: As people get older, the probability of people suffering from various diseases will also increase. In the case of various colon diseases, colonoscopy remains the most effective method for doctors to diagnose various colorectal diseases. The technology could help doctors detect potentially deadly diseases, such as colon cancer, at an early stage.

Colonoscopy usually involves a device called a colonoscope.

It is a half-inch thick cable device with a camera and equipped with ailluminationlamp. It is drawn directly through the rectum into the patient’s body and used to check various indicators of the large intestine.

Most patients use sedatives to relieve pain during colonoscopy, but as the colonoscopy is pushed into the digestive tract, the pressure in the colon is still likely to cause pain, and discomfort such as soreness may also occur during the recovery period after the examination.

Well, let’s not talk about the colon, if you have done gastroscopy or bronchoscopy, you will never forget the pain of being dominated by that tube

Therefore, many patients have many concerns about performing this procedure due to fear of pain.

Therefore, improving the safety of the colonoscopy procedure, reducing the invasiveness and foreign body sensation has become an important research goal of medical workers.

No, to simplify the procedure and make it less invasive and less painful, medical researchers at Vanderbilt University and the University of Leeds have jointly developed the first magnetized capsule with a diameter of 18 mmrobot(18.67 -2.51%, BUY) and remote control of the entire process through a magnet device outside the body.

The robot is actually a magnetized capsule colonoscope that guides the colon with external magnets attached to the Robotic arm.

The tether that comes with the capsule facilitates clearer live video feed of the power supply and camera to the inside of the colon, it is thinner and lighter than traditional endoscopes, less invasive and less foreign body sensation than traditional colonoscopes It is a lot more, but it can still cover all the areas that need to be checked and help doctors conduct a more thorough examination.

A little more than twice the size of regular capsules

Not only that, but the biggest improvement of this magnetized capsule robot is that the magnets on its arms automatically pull through the large intestine instead of being manually pushed away by doctors. It may not sound like much of a difference, but this improvement can greatly reduce the pressure and physical exertion on the colon wall, thereby minimizing discomfort and pain relief.

In addition, the recovery time after the patient’s examination will also be shortened, which is really a double-edged sword!

So far, the magnetized capsule robot has been tested and remotely controlled in pig colons up to 30 times, and the team observed that the robot can perform a complex reflex maneuver that bends the camera backwards for more The colon wall is conveniently viewed in reverse.

The researchers hope to begin trials in humans by the end of 2018, which means it will take a considerable amount of lab development before the technology reaches a fully mature stage.

Dr. Keith Obstein, one of the researchers on the technology, explained:

“Capsule Robots can not only perform diagnostics through active manipulation of the gastrointestinal tract, but also therapeutic maneuvers, such as tissue biopsy or polyp removal.”

“The capsule robot is attached to a tether with a much smaller reach than conventional, allowing it to cover a wider inspection area during inspection runs and obtain more accurate inspection results.”

In recent years, many researchers have been working on different types of capsule-based diagnostic tools. For example, the PillCAm is a swallowable camera rig that can be used to record its journey through a patient’s gastrointestinal tract;

While the TADPole endoscope offers a more controllable camera setup, it can swim and wander around your stomach, monitoring the health of your stomach…

While these other swallowing capsule cameras do serve as compelling new diagnostic tools, they are not yet a substitute for the medical precision that can be achieved with traditional colonoscopy.

What Dr. Obstein and his team hope to achieve is that their capsule robot can simplify the process of diagnosing and managing colorectal disease, surpassing traditional colonoscopy and reducing the need for surgery with complex sedative or pain medication.