Development of endoscopic device to veer out a latex tube with jamming by granular materials

Abstract

This paper describes the development of an endoscopic device that veers out a latex tube with jamming by granular materials. Colorectal cancer can be cured completely if it is discovered and treated early with a large intestine endoscope. A conventional endoscope can screen and heal the inside of the intestine, but such surgery is difficult for doctors, and it can take 300 or more training sessions to learn the technique. Even experienced doctors can occasionally spend an hour to perform this operation. In this study, in order an attempt to solve these problems, we propose an endoscopic device that veers out a latex tube with jamming by granular materials. This device can pass through the sigmoid colon without pulling it up, and because of the jamming transition by granular materials, this robot can also become rigid and take on the shape of the sigmoid colon. Unlike other endoscopic robots, our device can support the endoscope. Thus we can easily perform various functions of the conventional endoscope. Here we describe our approach for insertion of an endoscope. Next, we describe our experiment confirming the efficacy of the jamming transition. We also confirm the availability of a prototype of endoscopic device to veer out a latex tube with jamming by rice granular using a large intestine model has a about 90-degree angle.