Control System Development for a Gastric Retention and Injection Device for Autonomous Urgent Care Therapy

Master thesis (2023)

Authors

H. Cetin Mechanical Engineering

Contributors

Hen-Wei Huang Massachusetts Institute of Technology (supervisor 1)
M. Mazo Team Manuel Mazo Jr - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (supervisor 2)
S.D. Gonçalves Melo Pequito Team Sergio Pequito - Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (supervisor 2)
Faculty
Mechanical Engineering
Copyright: © 2023 Halithan Cetin
DC Motor Medical Robotics Orientation Estimation Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Time-sensitive Medical Emergencies Ingestible Device Gastric Retention Gastric Injection Gamma Radiation Autonomous Therapy Urgent Care Therapy Medical Device
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Published Date

16-05-2023

Language

English

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Faculty

Mechanical Engineering

Abstract

Time-sensitive medical emergencies resulting from the entry of harmful agents into the body require immediate and urgent medical attention to prevent irreversible symptoms or fatalities. However, the current process for urgent care relies on human intervention, which can introduce significant delays and potentially compromise the effectiveness of treatment. Recent advancements in harmful agent detection sensors and ingestible device technology present an opportunity to explore the development of an ingestible device that can autonomously detect and immediately treat medical emergencies caused by harmful agents.

The concept of an autonomous device for urgent care therapy necessitates a system that can achieve gastric retention and facilitate on-demand delivery of macromolecule drugs. Despite numerous proposals for gastric residence and macromolecule drug delivery systems, their controllability capabilities fall short. One of the primary challenges is ensuring the correct orientation of the device for effective injection into the stomach wall.
Researchers have developed an ingestible device guided by a microactuator, designed for gastric retention and injection. However, the current prototype of the device lacks a control system, essentially being a body without a brain.

This thesis delves into the design and implementation of a control system for an urgent care therapy device. The proposed control system is designed by individually examining the sensor system, the actuator system, and the decision making system. The viability of the proposed control system is demonstrated using the example of gamma radiation poisoning. The system integrates three distinct sensors: a harmful agent sensor, a power monitor, and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). The collected data is fed into the decision making system, which is capable of detecting the urgent care condition, battery depletion, and device misorientation. If the urgent care therapy need has been confirmed, the actuator control system will steer the device to correct its orientation and trigger the injection of the macromolecule drug into the stomach wall.

The proposed system provides orientation estimation with an accuracy of 2 degrees and features an adaptable sensor and needle system, enhancing its adaptability across various applications. The device's battery life extends up to 19 days, underscoring its potential as a viable autonomous tool for urgent care therapy. This research concludes that the proposed autonomous urgent care therapy device is a feasible solution in the treatment of time-sensitive medical emergencies resulting from the entry of harmful agents into the body, complementing existing healthcare strategies.