Magneto‐Responsive Polymeric Soft‐Shell‐Based Capsule Endoscopy for High‐Performance Gastrointestinal Exploration via Morphological Shape Control

Abstract

Capsule endoscopy is a valuable tool for diagnosis of the gastrointestinal tract. As a result, active‐control capsule endoscopy, which can be controlled via external stimulation, has emerged as a prominent diagnosis tool, unlike traditional passive capsule endoscopy. However, owing to its rigid cover, the high rotating radii limit its observation range at anchor points, such as polyps. There are also persistent challenges with pass‐through in narrow spaces in the intestines. This study proposes a soft‐shell capsule endoscope (SSCE) to improve this limitation. Experiments ranging from virtual phantoms to ex vivo investigations in the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine were conducted to ensure comprehensive coverage of the entire digestive system by the SSCE. Additionally, in the stomach and intestine experiments, we compared the performances of the SSCE and hard‐shell capsule endoscope (HSCE) to highlight the advantages of the SSCE. The results demonstrate that the SSCE achieves a 37.3% increase in the observable angles through bending motions at the anchor point compared to the HSCE, in addition to increased efficiency of pass‐through in the intestines. This revolutionary innovation is expected to significantly impact and promote high efficiency via pass‐through and the observation area in the clinical application of capsule endoscopy.

Keywords

• capsule endoscopy
• magnetically controlled
• soft actuators