Propulsive Capsule Imaging for Controlled GI Navigation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional endoscopies are invasive, time-consuming, and costly, with limitations in controlling the camera's orientation and reaching certain areas of the body, such as the small intestine, and require patients to spend extended time in medical settings for recovery.
Innovation Solution
A propulsive ingestible device equipped with a camera, antenna, and propulsion components that can navigate through the gastrointestinal tract under its own power, allowing for controlled imaging and data collection, and enabling real-time image transmission to an external device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a flexible tube is used to position the camera in endoscopy, then the camera can reach various positions in the body, but the procedure becomes invasive and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The ingestible device propels itself through the gastrointestinal tract using onboard propulsion components (motors and propellers), eliminating the need for external manipulation via flexible tube. The device autonomously navigates to target positions and performs imaging, then exits the body naturally, reducing procedure time from 8-12 hours to approximately 15-30 minutes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical flexible tube system with an autonomous ingestible device that uses electrical motors and propellers for propulsion. This substitution enables self-powered navigation through the GI tract without requiring external mechanical manipulation, significantly reducing procedure duration and invasiveness.
2Ease of operation
If a flexible tube is inserted through the mouth or rectum for endoscopy, then the camera can examine internal structures, but the procedure becomes invasive with potential complications
Solution Approach 1:
The ingestible device autonomously navigates through the GI tract using its own propulsion system, eliminating the need for external manipulation that could cause tissue damage. The device naturally exits the body through defecation, avoiding the need for surgical removal and reducing infection risk.
Solution Approach 2:
The device employs a flexible, biocompatible capsule structure that can safely pass through the gastrointestinal tract without causing mechanical damage. The flexible housing protects internal components while allowing natural peristaltic movement and eventual excretion, minimizing tissue trauma and infection risk.
3Measurement precision
If conventional endoscopy is performed with a flexible tube, then structures can be visually examined, but the procedure requires expensive hospital resources and extended recovery time
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex hospital-based flexible tube endoscopy system with a self-powered ingestible device that can be administered in an outpatient setting. The device integrates propulsion, imaging, and wireless transmission capabilities in a single capsule, eliminating the need for expensive hospital resources and extended recovery periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The ingestible device serves as an intermediary between the patient and the diagnostic system, carrying the camera and processing capabilities inside the body. Images are wirelessly transmitted to external devices for analysis, eliminating the need for complex hospital infrastructure and allowing patients to return home immediately after ingestion.
4Measurement precision
If the camera is affixed to the end of a flexible tube, then imaging can be performed, but the camera's orientation cannot be controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The ingestible device incorporates dynamic orientation control through independently controllable propulsion components at different locations. By varying the speed and direction of individual propellers, the device can actively adjust its orientation and camera angle in real-time, allowing targeted imaging of specific anatomical structures rather than passive recording.
Solution Approach 2:
The device integrates multiple functions including propulsion, orientation control, imaging, and wireless transmission in a single unit. The propulsion system serves dual purposes of both moving the device forward and controlling its orientation, while the camera system can capture images in multiple orientations based on device positioning, providing versatile imaging capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables more efficient and less invasive monitoring of in vivo environments by allowing the device to propel itself through the body, providing controlled imaging, and reducing the need for prolonged hospital stays, while allowing medical professionals to remotely examine images.
Implementation Method 1
Alternatively, an optical fiber exposed near the end of the flexible tube may carry light reflected by the structures within the body to a camera located outside the living body
Implementation Method 2
a camera that is affixed to the end of a flexible tube
Implementation Method 3
A propulsive ingestible device equipped with a camera, antenna, and propulsion components
Data Source
AI summary
An ingestible device comprising a capsule, a camera, an antenna, and a propulsion component id disclosed. The camera can capture images of various in vivo environments as the ingestible device traverses the gastrointestinal tract, and these images can be wirelessly transmitted to an electronic device located outside of the living body. The images may be transmitted to the electronic device for review by an operator responsible for controlling the ingestible device.