Locomotion and steering design of an active capsule robot for endoscopic inspection

A new locomotion-steering mechanism of an active capsule endoscopic robotic system is designed in this paper. The locomotion and steering principles are analyzed to allow the robot to move straightly and turn around in the intestinal environment. A micro-motor is used to actively actuate the endoscope robot for straight movements and steering. Spiral outer structure is basically employed to help produce propulsive force without contacting the intestine wall. The steering head actuated by the same motor is designed to control the moving directions adapted to the curved intestines in order to further ease the discomfort of the patient. A prototype is built and experiments are conducted to illustrate the proposed design.