Proposal and fundamental experiments of a novel pneumatic film actuator for assisting colonoscope insertion

Colonoscopy is important medical procedure to detect colonic disorders like a cancer. However, it is difficult to insert a scope into the colon because the colon has complex shape and non-fixed organ. For these reasons, the inspection time depends on the skill of the doctor. This study aims at development of a new pneumatic actuator for assisting colonoscope insertion. The actuator will be mounted on an endoscope, and the scope will be able to have propellant ability. In this paper, the novel actuator using polyethylene film is proposed and fundamental characteristics are clarified experimentally. Additionally using dummy endoscope, propellant ability by the actuators is confirmed.