A Wireless Insufflation System for Capsular Endoscopes

Swallowable capsule-based cameras (e.g. Given Imaging PillCam and competitors) are rapidly becoming the gold standard for diagnosis in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. However, definitive diagnosis is still often precluded by the inability to control capsule position and orientation. This has inspired a number of active positioning strategies including augmenting the capsule with legs or other appendages (see Figure 1), or incorporating magnets which can apply forces and torques in response to an external magnetic field (see [1] for an overview of both approaches). Furthermore, the loose, mucous coated, elastic intestine is generally deflated during capsule passage, making it challenging to view the entire internal surface adequately without the insufflation that is relied upon so heavily in traditional endoscopy. Figure 1. Legged capsule robot from prior work, showing tether inflated frontal balloon, which houses a wireless CCD camera. Image courtesy of the CRIM Lab SSSA, Italy.