Ingestible Device Accelerometer GI Tract Location Tracking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for sampling and tracking in the gastrointestinal tract are invasive, limited in reach, and lack the ability to collect fluid samples with spatial and temporal information, particularly in the small intestine, and do not effectively track device location without external imaging hardware.
Innovation Solution
An ingestible device equipped with an accelerometer to measure acceleration patterns, allowing for location identification within the gastrointestinal tract by computing metrics from these measurements, and a microcontroller to control sampling and communication for remote data transfer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional GI intubation using catheters is used to obtain GI samples, then samples can be collected from multiple sites along the GI tract, but the procedure is invasive, requires medical supervision and anesthesia, and has limited reach beyond the stomach
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical catheter intubation system with an ingestible electronic device that travels through the GI tract naturally. The device uses electronic sensors (accelerometers, pH sensors) and computational algorithms to identify location and trigger sampling, substituting the mechanical catheter-based approach with an autonomous electronic system that is non-invasive and can reach the small intestine.
Solution Approach 2:
The ingestible device autonomously determines its own location in the GI tract using onboard sensors and algorithms, then self-triggers fluid sampling without external control. The device services itself by automatically navigating, locating, and performing sampling functions throughout the GI tract journey.
2Measurement precision
If magnetic field tracking with external sensors is used to track device location, then 3D position can be derived, but complicated algorithms are required and external imaging hardware is needed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tracking function from the external magnetic field sensor system and places it entirely within the ingestible device itself. By using onboard accelerometers and pH sensors combined with location algorithms, the device determines its own position without requiring external tracking hardware or complex magnetic field processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the magnetic field-based external tracking system with an inertial sensing system using accelerometers. This substitution eliminates the need for external sensors and complex magnetic field algorithms, using instead mechanical acceleration measurements processed through location algorithms to determine GI tract position.
3Loss of information
If an ingestible device collects fluid samples from multiple locations, then spatial and temporal information is obtained, but the device must reliably identify different GI tract regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses pH sensors to detect pH levels as a universal indicator of GI tract location. Since pH varies characteristically across different regions (stomach, small intestine, large intestine), this single sensor provides multi-functional information about location, enabling the device to identify regions and preserve spatial information without requiring multiple specialized sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The device continuously monitors acceleration and pH data, using this feedback to update its location determination in real-time. The location algorithms process ongoing sensor data to maintain accurate spatial information, allowing the device to adaptively track its position and trigger sampling at appropriate locations throughout the GI tract.
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 non-invasive, location-specific fluid sampling and tracking along the GI tract without external imaging, providing accurate spatial and temporal data for drug monitoring and disease diagnosis, with extended battery life and reliable operation.
Implementation Method 1
measuring, by an accelerometer disposed in the ingestible device, acceleration of the ingestible device as it traverses through the gastrointestinal tract
Data Source
AI summary
A method is presented for tracking an ingestible device in a gastrointestinal tract of a subject. The method includes: measuring acceleration of the ingestible device as it traverses through the gastrointestinal tract, for example using an accelerometer disposed in the ingestible device; computing a metric from the acceleration measurements obtained by the accelerometer over a given period of time; and identifying a location in the gastrointestinal tract based in part on the metric.