Researchers design robotic capsule to perform colonoscopies

An autonomous robotic capsule can deliver accurate readings for colonoscopies and also spare the patient a lot of discomfort. The conventional procedure involves inserting a thin, flexible tube (the colonoscope) into a patient's rectum while they were under sedation.

The colonoscope, which has a light and camera at its end, allows the doctor to have an in-depth look on an accompanying screen so they can view the large intestine to detect the presence of ulcers, tumours, polyps, or areas with inflammation.

The procedure is typically recommended patients aged 50. Patients are required prepare their body by not eating and taking a cleansing medication, which many patients find unpleasant.

But a magnetised capsule colonoscope may offer a new solution that eliminates the discomfort and unpleasantness of conventional colonoscopy. 
The 18 millimeter magnetised capsule colonoscope is paired with standard medical instruments and was found to be able to successfully perform intricate manoeuvres inside the colon. The colonoscope is guided by an external magnet, attached to a robotic arm.

The rectally inserted capsule robot can identify and remove pre-cancerous lesions and tumours, which can also be done in conventional colonoscopy.

The capsule robot comes with a tether on the end, that can attach to biopsy and polyp removal tools.

The robot has been shown to perform complex colonoscopy manoeuvres in experiments on pigs.

According to Dr Keith Obstein, the lead author of a new report on the robot and an associate professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Tennessee, the researchers hoped to test the robot in humans by the end of 2018.

Obstein presented his findings yesterday in Chicago at Digestive Disease Week, a scientific meeting focused on digestive diseases. At a news conference ahead of his presentation, Obstein said colonoscopies saved lives, but many people still skipped them, possibly due to fears of the procedure or the possibility of side effects.