Development of An Ingestible Device with Biopsy and Drug Delivery Functions

Capsule robot can reach the focus area of gastrointestinal tract by oral administration to perform medical functions, which provides an important way to realize painless and non-invasive diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal diseases and improve patient compliance. In this work, we introduce a novel capsule robot designed for gastric biopsy and multi-drug delivery. The robot incorporates an innovative “roulette wheel-like” internal switching mechanism, which is controlled by two independent motors. One DC motor governs the inner chamber, enabling free switching between biopsy and drug delivery, and the other motor actuates a pusher to deploy the biopsy needle or expel drugs. Different types and quantities of biopsy and drug delivery modules can be adapted by designing different container cavities. Furthermore, a permanent magnet is installed at the back end of the robot for active motion control, and multi-degree-of-freedom motion is realized by using gradient magnetic field on the commercial magnetic control platform. In vitro validation studies demonstrate the capsule robot's successful execution of complete biopsy and drug delivery procedures in both liquid-free and liquid environment. This platform furnishes a viable solution for capsule robots intended for gastric biopsy and drug delivery, exhibiting considerable potential for practical implementation.