The design of a self-propelling mechanism for an endoluminal robot
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Abstract
Current endoscopic devices cause great discomfort to the patient because they need to be pushed from outside the patient to manoeuvre through the intestine. Self-propelling endo- scopic concepts have been proposed, but these cause unnecessary trauma to the patient or are unable to travel to the end of the large intestine and back. This study proposes a new design for a self-propelling endoluminal robot, based on the propulsion method found in the ovipositor of a wasp. The wasp uses multiple sliding segments to insert a needle into the bark of a tree. The robot in this study uses multiple segments to propel the device through the intestine. Only one segment moves forward at any given time, while the other segments are stationary with respect to the surrounding tissue. A rotating cam driven by a single motor actuates the segments. First a proof-of-principle design is 3D printed to prove that the mechanism is valid and then a working prototype is designed and produced. The prototype was tested in different plastic tubes and a porcine intestine.