The Modelling, Analysis, and Experimental Validation of a Novel Micro-Robot for Diagnosis of Intestinal Diseases

Abstract

Intestinal-related diseases all around the world are increasing nowadays, and gradually become stubborn diseases threatening human health, and even lives. Diagnosis methods have attracted more and more attention. This article concerns a non-invasive way, a novel micro-robot, to diagnose intestinal diseases. This proposed micro-robot is a swallowable device, 14 mm in diameter, like a capsule. In order to make it possible for the micro-robot to move forward, backward, or anchor itself at a suspicious lesion point in the intestine with different lumen diameter sections, two key mechanisms have been proposed. One is an expanding mechanism with two-layer folded legs for anchoring. The designed expanding mechanism could realize a large variable diameter ratio, upwards of 3.43. In addition, a pair of specific annular gears instead of a traditional pinion drive is devised not only saving limited space, but also reducing energy loss. The other mechanism is a telescoping mechanism, possessing a self-locking lead screw nut system, which is used to obtain axial motion of the micro-robot. Then, the kinematics and dynamics of the micro-robot are analyzed. After that, the following experiments, including force tests and locomotion tests, are constructed. A good match is found between the theoretical results and the experimental data. Finally, in vitro experiments are performed with a prototype to verify the safety and reliability of the proposed micro-robot in porcine intestine.

Application of micro/nanorobot in medicine

“…However, these solutions also have their limitations ( Bianchi et al, 2019 ). To address these issues, Han et al (2020) introduced an innovative micro-robotic model for diagnosing intestinal diseases. This micro-robot, designed using principles of bionics, features a two-layer folding mechanism to anchor itself to intestinal tissue.…”

Posture Dynamic Modeling and Stability Analysis of a Magnetic Driven Dual-Spin Spherical Capsule Robot

“…Therefore, it has become an urgent need to extend the scope of diagnosis and treatment of capsule endoscopes to the three-dimensional ample environment and achieve the active control. Taking the built-in micro-motor as the driving source, the researchers have proposed a variety of active capsules such as bionic type [5], screw type [6], leg type [7], propeller type [8], paddle type [9], and so on. Although the micro-motor-driven capsule can achieve many convenient operations, the power capacity and space in the capsule are limited.…”