Endiatx has begun clinical trials of its PillBot robotic capsule, which will allow doctors to remotely examine a patient’s gastrointestinal tract. The person can be examined in a comfortable home environment without going to the hospital.
PillBot is a robotic pill that acts as a virtual endoscope when swallowed. New Atlas writes that this allows a gastroenterologist to perform an examination of the gastrointestinal tract via video conferencing with just a phone call, without the patient having to go to a hospital or be under anesthesia.
In the future, the company plans to expand PillBot’s functionality by adding tools for removing polyps, stopping bleeding, sampling the microbiome, and collecting biopsy samples. It is interesting that the roadmap for the development of this innovative product also includes the creation of a series of robotic surgeons that are increasingly smaller and have an increasingly wide range of applications for use in the human body.
The advantages of this technology are the possibility of instant diagnosis anywhere with minimal invasiveness (trauma). However, the company says that the time will definitely come when an army of robots the size of a grain of rice can work while a person does their normal daily job. Apparently, New Atlas notes that PillBot’s clinical trials are just the first step towards making remote diagnosis and treatment the new standard.
It was noted that the technology developed by Endiatx can be applied not only in medicine but also in other fields. For example, for internal inspection of pipelines, especially those located under water and other hard-to-reach places.
Source: Port Altele
