Japanese researchers had developed a self-propelled remote controlled capsule endoscope that can "swim" through the digestive tract. They have succeeded in capturing images inside a person's stomach and colon using the tadpole shaped capsule as a first step toward its clinical application, the scientists said. Pills that survey the wild and nauseating gastric landscape have been done before but how about one that can 'swim' to input from a doctor controlled Joystick.
The device, nicknamed the "mermaid" is about one centimeter (0.4 inches) in diameter and 4.5 (1.8 inches) long and has magnetic driving gear that allows for precise control of its direction and location. Doctors use a joystick to control the movements of capsule, watching them on a monitor screen. It can be swallowed for examination of the stomach or inserted rectally for the colon. Swimming capsule endoscope using static and RF magnetic field of MRI for propulsion.
The research was announced at an international conference on digestive diseases in Chicago, Illinois in May, according to the team, which included scientists from Ryukoku University and OsakaMedical college. Osaka Medical College professor Kazuhide Higuchi said that, by remotely controlling the capsule, we can precisely photograph the area which needs to be tested.
Capsule endoscopes have been developed since the 1980s and came to be widely used in 2000s. But they were unable to propel themselves, relying instead on muscle contractions to move them along. The self-propelled capsule was first tested inside a dog's stomach in 2009 and it has been since modified and made smaller, the team said.
Mermaid can examine the digestive canal from the oesophagus to the colon in a few hours. It reduces burdens on patients and can led to the discovery of cancer.
The device, nicknamed the "mermaid" is about one centimeter (0.4 inches) in diameter and 4.5 (1.8 inches) long and has magnetic driving gear that allows for precise control of its direction and location. Doctors use a joystick to control the movements of capsule, watching them on a monitor screen. It can be swallowed for examination of the stomach or inserted rectally for the colon. Swimming capsule endoscope using static and RF magnetic field of MRI for propulsion.
The research was announced at an international conference on digestive diseases in Chicago, Illinois in May, according to the team, which included scientists from Ryukoku University and OsakaMedical college. Osaka Medical College professor Kazuhide Higuchi said that, by remotely controlling the capsule, we can precisely photograph the area which needs to be tested.
Capsule endoscopes have been developed since the 1980s and came to be widely used in 2000s. But they were unable to propel themselves, relying instead on muscle contractions to move them along. The self-propelled capsule was first tested inside a dog's stomach in 2009 and it has been since modified and made smaller, the team said.
Mermaid can examine the digestive canal from the oesophagus to the colon in a few hours. It reduces burdens on patients and can led to the discovery of cancer.
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