Despite the widespread adoption of endoscopic devices for several cancer screening procedures, manual control of these devices still remains challenging for clinicians, leading to several critical issues such as increased workload, fatigue, and distractions. To address these issues, in this paper, we introduce the design and development of an intuitive, modular, and easily installable mechatronic framework. This framework includes (i) a novel nested collet-chuck gripping mechanism that can readily be integrated and assembled with the existing endoscopic devices and control their bending degrees-of-freedom (DoFs); (ii) a feeder mechanism that can control the insertion/retraction DoF of a colonoscope, and (iii) a complementary and intuitive user interface that enables simultaneous control of all DoFs during the procedure. To analyze the design of the proposed mechanisms, we also introduce a mathematical modeling approach and a design space for optimal selection of the parameters involved in the design of gripping and feeder mechanisms. Our simulation and experimental studies thoroughly demonstrate the performance of the proposed mathematical modeling and robotic framework.

New endoscopists require a large volume of expert-proctored colonoscopies to attain minimal competency. Developing multi-fingered, synchronized control of a colonoscope requires significant time and exposure to the device. Current training methods inhibit this development by relying on tool hand-off for expert demonstrations. There is a need for colonoscopy training tools that enable in-hand expert guidance in real-time. We present a new concept of a tandem training system that uses a telemanipulated preceptor colonoscope to guide novice users as they perform a colonoscopy. This system is capable of dual-control and can automatically toggle between expert and novice control of a standard colonoscope's angulation control wheels. Preliminary results from a user study with novice and expert users show the effectiveness of this device as a skill acquisition tool. We believe that this device has the potential to accelerate skill acquisition for colonoscopy and, in the future, enable individualized instruction and responsive teaching through bidirectional actuation.

This paper introduces a size-adaptable robotic endoscope design, which aims to improve the efficiency and comfort of colonoscopy. The robotic endoscope proposed in this paper combines the expansion mechanism and the external drive system, which can adjust the shape according to the different pipe diameters, thus improving the stability and propulsion force during propulsion. As an actuator in the expansion mechanism, flexible bellows can provide a normal force of 3.89 N and an axial deformation of nearly 10mm at the maximum pressure, with a 53% expansion rate in the size of expandable tip. In the test of the locomotion performance of the prototype, we obtained the relationship with the propelling of the prototype by changing the friction coefficient of the pipe and the motor angular velocity. In the experiment with artificial bowel tissues, the prototype can generate a propelling force of 2.83 N, and the maximum linear speed is 29.29 m/s in average, and could produce effective propulsion when it passes through different pipe sizes. The results show that the prototype can realize the ability of shape adaptation in order to obtain more propulsion. The relationship between propelling force and traction force, structural optimization and miniaturization still need further exploration.

In this paper, with the goal of addressing the high early-detection miss rate of colorectal cancer (CRC) polyps during a colonoscopy procedure, we propose the design and fabrication of a unique inflatable vision-based tactile sensing balloon (VTSB). The proposed soft VTSB can readily be integrated with the existing colonoscopes and provide a radiation-free, safe, and high-resolution textural mapping and morphology characterization of CRC polyps. The performance of the proposed VTSB has been thoroughly characterized and evaluated on four different types of additively manufactured CRC polyp phantoms with three different stiffness levels. Additionally, we integrated the VTSB with a colonoscope and successfully performed a simulated colonoscopic procedure inside a tube with a few CRC polyp phantoms attached to its internal surface.

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.

Despite its potential to save lives, many people fear the discomfort of having a colonoscopy. But in the future, tiny robots could be deployed to search for pre-cancerous lesions and tumours in the bowel, resulting in less discomfort for patients. While such robots sound like they belong in a sci-fi novel, researchers have shown an 18mm magnetised capsule colonoscope can perform intricate and sometimes autonomous movements inside the colon for the first time. Researchers have shown an 18mm magnetised capsule colonoscope (right) can perform intricate and sometimes autonomous movements inside the colon for the first time. The'capsule robot' was guided by an external magnet attached to a robotic arm (left) The'capsule robot' was paired with standard medical instruments and was guided by an external magnet attached to a robotic arm.

This might be a tough pill to swallow, but the future of medicine is all about ingestible sensors. Things like cameras to scope out your bowels and electronics that detect if you've taken your medicine (recently FDA-approved, by the way). Researchers at MIT have developed a frozen gizmo made of pig intestine that you drop down the hatch. As it thaws in your stomach, it unfolds. Using a magnetic field, a doctor could theoretically lead the device to something you've gone and swallowed but really shouldn't have--batteries aren't as tasty as they look--and hurry the offending object out of your system.