A micro soft robot using inner air transferring for colonoscopy

Abstract

Non-invasive colonoscopy is an important procedure to find the malignant tumor of large intestine in its early stage. Micro mimetic robot shows a potential advantage to perform the examination because of its small volume and autonomous locomotion principle. This research presented a prototype of micro robotic colonoscope based on inchworm-like motion method. The prototype has 16 mm diameter, 90 mm length and 21 g weight. The robot is actuated longitudinally by linear motors. A stroke can be varied less than 31 mm. Two balloons are used to alternately support the intestine inner wall along radial direction. A micro pump is used to exchange the air between the two balloons. The balloon's diameter changes from 16.5 mm to 45 mm during inflation. The robot is tested in a thin-wall silicon gel tube smeared with oil and grease. The results demonstrated that the robot can move at speed freely and effectively.