Design and control of a magnetically driven capsule-robot for endoscopy and drug delivery

Much research on the development of a robotic capsule and micro robot for the diagnosis of gastrointestinal diseases has been carried out. The powering of these micro systems is becoming very important as the implementation of such systems is limited due to existence of on-board power supplies. This paper presents a micro robotic system based on magnetic principles to eliminate the use of on-board power supplies. The goal is to build a system in which a capsule-robot can be manipulated wirelessly inside human´s body. A micro robot (capsule robot) can be remotely operated with 3 DOF in an enclosed environment by transferring magnetic energy and electromagnetic waves. A magnetic drive unit generates magnetic energy for the micro robot´s manipulation. Experimental results show the capsule-robot is manipulated and moved through a desired trajectory in a liquid. One of the significant advantages of the capsule endoscopy is that the procedure is ambulatory and the patient can live normally during the experiment. However, the use of the proposed system will require the patient to remain stationary during the experiment, which usually lasts about eight hours.