Cost-Effective Smartphone-Based Articulable Endoscope Systems for Developing Countries: Instrument Validation Study

Abstract

Background Endoscopes are widely used for visualizing the respiratory tract, urinary tract, uterus, and gastrointestinal tracts. Despite high demand, people in underdeveloped and developing countries cannot obtain proper access to endoscopy. Moreover, commercially available endoscopes are mostly nonarticulable as well as not actively controlled, limiting their use. Articulating endoscopes are required for some diagnosis procedures, due to their ability to image wide areas of internal organs. Furthermore, actively controlled articulating endoscopes are less likely to harm the lumen than rigid endoscopes because they can avoid contact with endothelial tissues. Objective The study aimed to demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of smartphone-based wide-field articulable endoscope system for minimally invasive clinical applications in developing and less developed countries. Methods A thin articulable endoscope system that can be attached to and actively controlled by a smartphone was designed and constructed. The system consists of a flexible endoscopic probe with a continuum mechanism, 4 motor modules for articulation, a microprocessor for controlling the motor with a smartphone, and a homebuilt app for streaming, capturing, adjusting images and video, and controlling the motor module with a joystick-like user interface. The smartphone and motor module are connected via an integrated C-type On-The-Go (OTG) USB hub. Results We tested the device in several human-organ phantoms to evaluate the usability and utility of the smartphone-based articulating endoscope system. The resolution (960 × 720 pixels) of the device was found to be acceptable for medical diagnosis. The maximum bending angle of 110° was designed. The distance from the base of the articulating module to the tip of the endoscope was 45 mm. The angle of the virtual arc was 40.0°, for a curvature of 0.013. The finest articulation resolution was 8.9°. The articulating module succeeded in imaging all 8 octants of a spherical target, as well as all 4 quadrants of the indices marked in human phantoms. Conclusions The portable wide-field endoscope was successfully controlled using a smartphone, yielding clear images with a resolution of 960 × 720 pixels at realistic focal distances. Actively and precisely controlled articulating movements have resulted in minimally invasive monitoring in the narrow space of internal organs providing a wide-area view. We found our smartphone-based active articulated endoscope to be suitable for point-of-care applications in developing and less developed countries.

A Wi-Fi–Based Mask-Type Laryngoscope for Telediagnosis During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Instrument Validation Study

“…Previously, our team developed a mobile-based USB on-the-go (OTG) endoscope that can be articulated using an Android mobile app [ 10 ]. The Wi-Fi–based contactless mask endoscope has several advantages over the USB OTG endoscope.…”

“…Table 1 shows the price of the Wi-Fi–based contactless mask endoscope. Considering that the cost of the 3D-printed modules can be reduced with mass production, in addition to the reduced maintenance costs, the price may be better than that of the USB OTG endoscope [ 10 ].…”

“…As shown in Figure 5 A, each segment has 4 wire holes for the articulation wire and a big central cable hole for the endoscope camera cable. The tension of the wires is adjusted by winding, and rewinding narrows the lateral gap between segments, therefore generating 2-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) omnidirectional motion [ 10 ], as depicted in Figure 5 B. Two opposite-sided wire holes in the individual segments are paired to each other, making 4 wire holes in total.…”

A Wi-Fi–Based Mask-Type Laryngoscope for Telediagnosis During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Instrument Validation Study (Preprint)

“…As shown in Figure 5A, each segment has 4 wire holes for the articulation wire and a big central cable hole for the endoscope camera cable. The tension of the wires is adjusted by winding, and rewinding narrows the lateral gap between segments, therefore generating 2-degree-of-freedom (2DOF) omnidirectional motion [10], as depicted in Figure 5B. Two opposite-sided wire holes in the individual segments are paired to each other, making 4 wire holes in total.…”

A Portable Smartphone-Based Laryngoscope System for High-Speed Vocal Cord Imaging of Patients With Throat Disorders: Instrument Validation Study

“…This represents an evolution of traditional point-of-care strip diagnosis, in which a smartphone can be used to distinguish the intensity of a biological reaction. Other proposed applications of the smartphone camera for point-of-care diagnosis include clinical microscopy, endoscopic imaging, video nasolaryngoscopy, flexible robotic endoscopy, etc [22][23][24][25][26][27][28].…”