Colonoscopy is currently the best method for detecting bowel cancer, but fundamental design and construction have not changed significantly in decades. Conventional colonoscope (CC) is difficult to maneuver and can lead to pain with a risk of damaging the bowel due to its rigidity. We present the MorphGI, a robotic endoscope system that is self-propelling and made of soft material, thus easy to operate and inherently safe to patient. After verifying kinematic control of the distal bending segment, the system was evaluated in: a benchtop colon simulator, using multiple colon configurations; a colon simulator with force sensors; and surgically removed pig colon tissue. In the colon simulator, the MorphGI completed a colonoscopy in an average of 10.84 min. The MorphGI showed an average of 77% and 62% reduction in peak forces compared to a CC in high- and low-stiffness modes, respectively. Self-propulsion was demonstrated in the excised tissue test but not in the live pig test, due to anatomical differences between pig and human colons. This work demonstrates the core features of MorphGI.

中文翻译：

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MorphGI：通过变形形状自行推进的软机器人内窥镜。


结肠镜检查是目前检测肠癌的最佳方法，但几十年来基本设计和结构没有发生显着变化。传统的结肠镜 (CC) 难以操作，并且可能导致疼痛，并且由于其刚性而有损坏肠道的风险。我们推出了 MorphGI，这是一种自动推进的机器人内窥镜系统，由软材料制成，因此易于操作，对患者来说本质上是安全的。在验证远端弯曲段的运动学控制后，系统在以下环境中进行评估： 使用多种结肠配置的台式结肠模拟器；带有力传感器的结肠模拟器；并通过手术切除猪结肠组织。在结肠模拟器中，MorphGI 平均 10.84 分钟完成一次结肠镜检查。与 CC 相比，MorphGI 在高刚度和低刚度模式下的峰值力平均分别减少了 77% 和 62%。由于猪和人类结肠之间的解剖学差异，在切除的组织测试中证明了自推进，但在活猪测试中没有证明。这项工作展示了 MorphGI 的核心功能。