Lumen-traveling biological interface device

• US 20080103440A1
• Filed: 03/19/2007
• Published: 05/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gearbox LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Ishikawa, Muriel Y., Myhrvold, Nathan P., Tegreene, Clarence T., Hillis, W. Daniel, Jung, Edward K.Y., Ferren, Bran, Hyde, Roderick A., Wood, Victoria Y.H., Leuthardt, Eric C., Wood, Lowell L.
• Granted Patent: US 9,801,527 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 604/95.01
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00016 using wireless means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00029 externally powered, e.g. wireless
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00156 using self propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/04 Endoscopic instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/22 Implements for squeezing-off ulcers or the like on the inside of inner organs of the body; Implements for scraping-out cavities of body organs, e.g. bones; Calculus removers; Calculus smashing apparatus; Apparatus for removing obstructions in blood vessels, not otherwise provided for dilators A61M29/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/29 Forceps for use in minimally invasive surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/295 combined with cutting implements
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 17/3207 Atherectomy devices working by cutting or abrading; Similar devices specially adapted for non-vascular obstructions A61B17/32037 takes precedence; endoscopic cutting instruments A61B17/320016
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00022 Sensing or detecting at the treatment site
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00345 Micromachines, nanomachines, microsystems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/301 for introducing or steering flexible instruments inserted into the body, e.g. catheters or endoscopes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/303 specifically adapted for manipulations within body lumens, e.g. within lumen of gut, spine, or blood vessels
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0219 of externally powered implanted units
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/17 Comprising radiolucent components
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/32 operating autonomously
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/72 Micromanipulators
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0008 : Temperature signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0031 : Implanted circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0084 : for introduction into the body, e.g. by catheters A61B5/1459 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02055 : Simultaneously evaluating both cardiovascular condition and temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0215 : by means inserted into the body catheters A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/03 : Detecting, measuring or recording fluid pressure within the body other than blood pressure, e.g. cerebral pressure; Measuring pressure in body tissues or organs A61B5/205 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/145 : Measuring characteristics of blood in vivo, e.g. gas concentration, pH value; Measuring characteristics of body fluids or tissues, e.g. interstitial fluid, cerebral tissuemeasuring of blood pressure or blood flow A61B5/02; non-radiation detecting or locating of foreign bodies in blood A61B5/06
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14539 : for measuring pH
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/24 : Detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/415 : the glands, e.g. tonsils, adenoids or thymus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/418 : lymph vessels, ducts or nodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/4839 : combined with drug delivery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/00 : Instruments for auscultation
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 : in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 : Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 : Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2/04 : Hollow or tubular parts of organs, e.g. bladders, tracheae, bronchi or bile ducts A61F2/18, A61F2/20 take precedence; devices, other than stent-grafts, providing patency to, or preventing collapsing of, tubular structures of the body other than stent-grafts, e.g. stents A61F2/82; instruments specially adapted for placement or removal of stents or stent-grafts A61F2/95
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/30668 : Means for transferring electromagnetic energy to implants
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2002/3067 : for data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0001 : Means for transferring electromagnetic energy to implants
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0002 : for data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: A61F 2250/0068 : the pharmaceutical product being in a reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/05 : for implantation or insertion into the body, e.g. heart electrode A61N1/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61N 1/37205 : Microstimulators, e.g. implantable through a cannula

Abstract

Lumen-traveling biological interface devices and associated methods and systems are described. Lumen-traveling biological interface devices capable of traveling within a body lumen may include a propelling mechanism to produce movement of the lumen-traveling device within the lumen, electrodes or other electromagnetic transducers for detecting biological signals and electrodes, coils or other electromagnetic transducers for delivering electromagnetic stimuli to stimulus responsive tissues. Lumen-traveling biological interface devices may also include additional components such as sensors, an active portion, and/or control circuitry.

Claims

1. A lumen-traveling device, comprising:

a propelling mechanism capable of producing directional movement of the lumen-traveling device through a body lumen;

a steering mechanism capable of modifying a direction of movement of the lumen-traveling device;

at least one electromagnetic transducer configured for at least one of producing an output signal representative of a bioelectromagnetic signal sensed from a target tissue or delivering an electromagnetic stimulus to the target tissue; and

at least one of a signal processing portion capable of processing the output signal from the electromagnetic transducer or a stimulus source capable of producing an electromagnetic stimulus for delivery to the target tissue with the electromagnetic transducer.

13. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including at least one wall-engaging structure capable of engaging a wall of the body lumen to secure the lumen-traveling stimulation device with respect to the wall of the body lumen in the vicinity of the target tissue.

14. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including a structural element configured to at least intermittently permit the movement of fluid through the body lumen past the lumen-traveling device.

15. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including at least one electromagnetic transducer configured for producing an output signal representative of a bioelectromagnetic signal sensed from a target tissue, and at least one signal processing portion capable of processing the output signal from the electromagnetic transducer.

16. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including at least one electromagnetic transducer configured for delivering an electromagnetic stimulus to the target tissue, and at least one stimulus source capable of producing an electromagnetic stimulus for delivery to the target tissue with the electromagnetic transducer.

17. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including at least one electromagnetic transducer configured for producing an output signal representative of a bioelectromagnetic signal sensed from a target tissue, at least one electromagnetic transducer configured for delivering an electromagnetic stimulus to the target tissue;

at least one signal processing portion capable of processing the output signal from the electromagnetic transducer, and at least one stimulus source capable of producing an electromagnetic stimulus for delivery to the target tissue with the electromagnetic transducer.

18. The lumen-traveling device of claim 17, including at least one electromagnetic transducer configured for producing an output signal representative of a bioelectromagnetic signal sensed from a target tissue and delivering an electromagnetic stimulus to the target tissue.

19. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including a receiver configured to receive a signal from a remote portion.

22. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including a power source.

51. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including:

multiple electromagnetic transducers configured for at least one of producing an output signal representative of a bioelectromagnetic signal sensed from the target tissue or delivering an electromagnetic stimulus to the target tissue.

62. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, wherein the stimulus source is capable of producing an electromagnetic stimulus for delivery to the target tissue with the electromagnetic transducer at least in part in response to the sense signal from the sensor.

84. The method of claim 1, including sensing a plurality of bioelectromagnetic signals with the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device, wherein each of the plurality bioelectromagnetic signals is sensed with a respective electromagnetic transducer of a plurality of electromagnetic transducers carried by the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device.

85. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, wherein the at least one electromagnetic transducer includes at least one of an electrode, a coil, a Hall effect sensor, an antenna, an electromagnetic field source, an ion-sensitive device, a light source, a laser diode, a laser, a light emitting diode or a photodiode.

86. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including at least one of control circuitry carried by the lumen-traveling device or control circuitry located at least in part on the lumen-traveling device.

87. The lumen-traveling device of claim 22, wherein the power source includes at least one of a battery, a microbattery, a fuel cell, a biofuel cell, an inductively driven power receiving structure driven by a remotely applied electromagnetic field, an energy scavenging device, an energy scavenging device capable of transducing energy from blood flow, an energy scavenging device capable of transducing energy from heart motion, an energy scavenging device capable of transducing energy from gastrointestinal tract motion, an energy scavenging device capable of transducing energy from pulmonary motion, or an energy scavenging device capable of transducing energy from muscle motion.

88. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, wherein the lumen-traveling device is sized to fit within at least one of a blood vessel in a brain or a chamber of a heart.

89. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including at least one stimulus source capable of producing an electromagnetic stimulus for delivery to the target tissue with the electromagnetic transducer, wherein the electromagnetic stimulus is adapted for at least one of controlling or modifying heart activity or controlling or modifying neural activity.

90. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including at least one stimulus source capable of producing an electromagnetic stimulus for delivery to the target tissue with the electromagnetic transducer, wherein the electromagnetic stimulus is at least one of a depolarizing stimulus sufficient to produce depolarization of at least a portion of the target tissue, a hyperpolarizing stimulus sufficient to produce hyperpolarization of at least a portion of the target tissue, a promoting stimulus sufficient to produce a functionally promoting effect in at least a portion of the target tissue, or an inhibiting stimulus sufficient to produce a functionally inhibiting effect in at least a portion of the target tissue.

91. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including at least one stimulus source capable of at least one of producing an electromagnetic stimulus for delivery to the target tissue with the electromagnetic transducer based at least in part upon a pre-programmed stimulation pattern or producing an electromagnetic stimulus for delivery to the target tissue with the electromagnetic transducer at least in part in response to a signal received from a remote portion.

92. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including:

at least one signal processing portion capable of processing the output signal from the electromagnetic transducer, wherein the at least one signal processing portion is capable of processing the output signal from the electromagnetic transducer by at least one of amplifying the output signal, filtering the output signal, or performing feature detection/pattern recognition on the output signal.

93. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including:

at least one signal processing portion capable of processing the output signal from the electromagnetic transducer; and

at least one of a data storage location configured for storing an output of the at least one signal processing portion or a transmitter configured to transmit an output of the at least one signal processing portion to a remote location.

94. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, including:

at least one transmitter configured to transmit information to a remote location, wherein the information relates to at least one of the status of the lumen-traveling device, the location or position of the lumen-traveling device, an action taken by the lumen-traveling device, or the delivery of the electromagnetic stimulus to the target tissue.

95. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes at least one of an optical sensor, an imaging device, a thermal sensor, a chemical sensor, an electrical sensor, or a magnetic sensor.

96. The lumen-traveling device of claim 1, wherein the local condition is indicative of at least one of proximity to the target tissue or an anatomical feature.

97. The method of claim 1, including at least one of introducing the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device into the body tube tree of the subject or causing the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device to engage a wall of the body tube tree at the target site.

98. The method of claim 1, wherein the body tube tree is selected from the group consisting of a vascular system of the subject, a respiratory system of the subject, and a CSF-space of the subject.

99. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device to travel within the body tube tree of the subject toward the target site includes at least one of causing the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device to travel within the body tube tree under the control of a control system located at least in part on the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device or causing the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device to travel within the body tube tree under the control of a remote portion.

100. The method of claim 1, wherein causing the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device to travel within the body tube tree of the subject toward the target site includes causing the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device to travel within the body tube tree toward a site selected from the group consisting of a site located within a chamber of a heart of the subject, a site located within a brain of the subject, a site located within a spinal canal of the subject, a site located within a gastrointestinal tract of the subject, a site located within a urogenital tract of the subject, and a site located within a musculature of the subject.

101. The method of claim 1, including at least one of selecting a target site in proximity to a bioelectromagnetic signal source, detecting the branch point with a sensor on the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device, or causing the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device to resume traveling.

102. The method of claim 1, including engaging a wall of the body tube tree by at least one of causing at least a portion of the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device to expand to form a pressure fit with a wall of the body tube tree, releasing an adhesive material from the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device, or extending at least one claw or barb-like structure from the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device to penetratingly engage the wall of the body tube tree.

2-12. -12. (canceled)

20-21. -21. (canceled)

23-50. -50. (canceled)

52. A lumen-traveling device, comprising:

a propelling mechanism capable of producing directional movement of the lumen-traveling device through a body lumen;

a steering mechanism capable of modifying a direction of movement of the lumen-traveling device;

at least one electromagnetic transducer configured for at least one of producing an output signal representative of a bioelectromagnetic signal sensed from a target tissue or delivering an electromagnetic stimulus to the target tissue;

at least one of a signal processing portion capable of processing the output signal from the electromagnetic transducer or a stimulus source capable of producing an electromagnetic stimulus for delivery to the target tissue with the electromagnetic transducer; and

a sensor capable of sensing a local condition and generating a sense signal.

53-61. -61. (canceled)

63. A method of emplacing a bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device, comprising:

causing a self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device to travel within a body tube tree of a subject toward a target site;

if a branch point including two or more branches within the body tube tree is reached by the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device, causing the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device to enter a branch leading toward the target site; and

causing the self-propelling bioelectromagnetic signal sensing device to stop traveling upon reaching the target site.

64-83. -83. (canceled)