'Strange journey' in the human body

A scientist has designed a 'endoscope' capable of tracking the gastrointestinal tract to tell doctors all that happens without having to mobilize bulky equipment.

The endoscope is not a new invention. Everyone knows that it's a tiny camera or an optical fiber that is often combined with a soft tube and used to examine internal organs.

But not everyone knows that such an invasion process is very dangerous, it must be supported by painkillers and it takes time for the body to recover after an external intervention.

Even when endoscopic examinations leave consequences and when being 'inserted' endoscopy into the body, patients often consider a 'nightmare'.

Endoscopic tablets will help patients reduce pain alone compared to conventional methods.

Recently a researcher at Te-Aviv University has designed a 'endoscope' (endoscope capsule) , can study the gastrointestinal tract to detect certain pathologies without using wires and ropes. any bulky means.

Dr. Gabor Kosa, who works in the Department of Machine Engineering at Tel-Aviv University, said his goal is to invent an endoscopic device that is actually a camera that looks like a 'capsule'. help in diagnosing gastrointestinal diseases, should be called a 'endoscopy'.

It will "wander" in the gut, creep into the 'lanes of the alley' and take a photo every 0.15 seconds, reflecting a relatively comprehensive picture of the niches inside the gut.

But unlike the existing endoscopes, this new wireless 'endoscope' will use the magnetic field of the imaging magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electronic signals to operate. Controlling the 'endoscope' will be easier and it will be easier to re-examine the process.

It lessens the patient's pain and acquires images inside the body correctly: Detect promptly tumors that other methods are difficult to diagnose, concealed injuries and hidden ulcers . It gives the doctor the ability to do a biopsy or put the medicine in the right place for treatment.

This technology has recently been presented in the Journal of Biomedical Micro Devices, by Peter Jacob, an engineer in the Department of Surgical Programming Laboratory at Brig and Women's Hospital Scientists in the City. Boston (USA) mentioned

'Swim' according to the controls

What makes this endoscopic instrument superior to existing similar devices is that it examines every detail of the gastrointestinal tract under the precise control of the doctor. Dr. Kosa said: 'The force that controls the' endoscopy 'is the MRT magnet outside the body, with a strong and constant magnetic field. Thanks to it, the 'endoscope' goes back to the internal organs like a sailboat going in the wind '.

To help the 'endoscopic' easily 'swim' according to the magnetic field, a tiny tail is added to it. The magnetic field made the tail vibrate and acted like a rudder for a boat. Electronic components and micro-sensors placed in the 'endoscope' operate under their program while moving.

This new technology makes it possible for physicians to control endoscopy completely to the point that it helps them conduct more quality, more accurate diagnoses, but also make patients less pain and the process. faster diagnosis.

Future micro robot technology

In the surgical programming lab at Brig and the Women's Hospital in Boston, scientists examined what Dr. Kosa and colleagues did on the most modern tomography equipment and found that the magnetic field is fully controllable 'endoscope'.

Dr. Kosa said that his success and his colleagues showed a very bright future of micro robotics in biomedical research.