Ingestible Wireless Capsule Technology: A Review of Development and Future Indication

Abstract

Ingestible wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) is the one and only painless, effective, novel, diagnostic technology for inspecting the entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract for various diseases, such as obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB), tumors, cancer, Crohn’s disease, and celiac disease. Since the development of this technology, several companies have made remarkable improvements in their clinical products, but there are still some limitations that relate to the use of conventional wired endoscopy. Some of the major limitations that currently impede its wider application include its inability to repeat the view of critical areas, working time constraints, and poor image resolution. Many research groups currently are working on ways to solve these limitations. Presently, developing the ability to control the movement of the capsule, increasing its image transmission speed, and obtaining high-quality images are the main issues in the research area. A complex capsule with some therapeutic tools for the treatment of diseases of the GI tract also is at the beginning of development for the next generation of an active medical robot. In this paper, we report the status of several activities related to WCE, including improvement of capsule technology, research progress, technical challenges, and key indicators concerning the next-generation, active, medical robot.

A novel hybrid microrobot using rotational magnetic field for medical applications

“…Especially, they are hard to carry deeply to some small or narrow areas within the tissue of living in human body. To solve these problems, different kinds of wireless capsule endoscopes (WCEs) have been developed (Moglia et al 2007; Wang and Meng 2011;Basar et al 2012). These WCEs are mainly consisted by an embedded camera, image sensor and battery for power supply.…”

Electromagnetic field intensity triggered micro-biopsy device for active locomotive capsule endoscope

“…The resulting shear stress ( τ ex ) induced by the razor tool was calculated using the Eqs. (4) and (5) : (4) F ≥ 20 Mpa × t × s (5) where F denotes the cutting force acting on the tissue, and t and s are the thickness and width of the razor, respectively. To reduce the cutting force, the values of t and s need to be minimized; in other words, a sharp razor with a small width should be designed and fabricated.…”

“…Because of their passive locomotion, however, the diagnostic ranges of most CEs are limited to tubular organs, such as the esophagus and small intestine. In addition, valuable functions, such as pH sensing and biopsies for the diagnosis of the GI tract, could not be integrated into most CEs [4] . Therefore, to have an active and precise diagnosis, an ALICE system driven by EMA is developed [5] .…”

A wireless power transmission system for robotic capsule endoscopy: Design and optimization

“…Since the development of wireless capsule endoscopy the transformation of passive capsules to active robotic capsules has received a significant attention to the researchers [1,2].…”