Japan develops ‘swimming’ capsule endoscope

Japanese researchers said they had developed a self-propelled remote-controlled capsule endoscope that can “swim” through the digestive tract.

They have succeeded in capturing images inside a person’s stomach and colon using the tadpole-shaped capsule as a first step towards its clinical application, the scientists said.

It is the first time a self-propelled endoscope has successfully moved from one part of the digestive tract to another and shot images inside the colon, the team said.

The device, nicknamed the Mermaid, is about one centimetre in diameter and 4.5 centimetres long and has magnetic driving gear that allows for precise control of its direction and location.

Doctors use a joystick to control the capsule’s movements, watching them on a monitor screen. It can be swallowed for examination of the stomach or inserted rectally for the colon.

The research was announced at an international conference on digestive diseases in Chicago, Illinois, in May, according to the team, which included scientists from Ryukoku University and Osaka Medical College.