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| Tadpole endoscope (with coin for comparison)--Courtesy of IPE-CUHK |
We may be a bit closer to the swarms of diagnostic nanorobots that are a core moonshot research project at the newly defined Google Life Sciences. Hong Kong researchers are developing a capsule endoscope that mimics the swimming of tadpoles to offer an innovative approach to gastrointestinal imaging.
The academics recently published a paper describing a Tadpole Endoscope, which incorporates that simplistic propulsion principle. They've only tested it ex vivo thus far but have achieved swimming speeds of up to 12.5 millimeters per second and a turning radius of only 25 mm.
The body is 3-D printed out of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene plastic and is only 1 mm thick, with a diameter of 13 mm and a total length of 38 mm, including a 9-mm tail. The tadpole endoscope, which weighs a mere 6 grams, is powered by a 1.5-volt button battery for its circuit board and magnetic coil. Instructions for motion are delivered to the circuit board via infrared communication.
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| Tadpole endoscope depicted in the stomach--Courtesy of IPE-CUHK |
"The Tadpole Endoscope attempts to improve [on] existing methods by offering a reliable, non-invasive diagnosis procedure for the GI tract. The process will work by the patient going to the hospital and swallowing the Tadpole Endoscope which starts working immediately," explained a statement from the article publisher Taylor & Francis describing the system.
Adding, "Once the Tadpole Endoscope is in the stomach, the doctor can control the Tadpole Endoscope to swim around to gather images. By adjusting the posture of the patient, the doctor can view the whole stomach. The Tadpole Endoscope will then move into the lower GI tract depending on natural peristalsis. The patient can then be sent home wearing a sensor pad to record these images which the doctor can subsequently use to make a diagnosis."
The system has only been tested for mobility in a model of a stomach, as well as in a pig stomach, without the image system. Up next, the researchers will integrate an imaging system into the Tadpole Endoscope and initiate in vivo animal testing. The Institute of Precision Engineering, the Chinese University of Hong Kong (IPE-CUHK) led this effort.
GI cancers are the second most prevalent type of cancer globally. Currently, physicians are limited to imaging that includes gastroscopy, capsule endoscopy and colonoscopy. The Tadpole Endoscope would be an updated spin on capsule-based imaging that would enhance physician control of the process.
- here is the announcement
- and the full paper