Robots: Scientists invent a mechanical arm to perform colonoscopies in 'less painful' procedure

An AI-powered robotic arm can perform'less painful' colonoscopies to check for bowel cancer by using a magnet to externally steer a camera probe through the gut. The system -- from a team led from Leeds -- could prove to be the first major update in decades to the procedure, which is used some 100,000 times each year in the UK. In a colonoscopy, a long, thin, camera-ended probe is passed through the rectum and colon to hunt for and remove abnormalities and take tissue samples. The examination can be uncomfortable for the patient -- and requires highly skilled doctors to be performed, limiting the availability of the procedure. The artificially intelligent system, however, will aid less experienced doctors and nurses in safely guiding the probe to precise locations within the colon.