SYSTEM AND METHOD TO MAGNETICALLY ACTUATE A CAPSULE ENDOSCOPIC ROBOT FOR DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT

• US 20130303847A1
• Filed: 05/09/2013
• Published: 11/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University
• Original Assignee: Carnegie Mellon University
• Inventors: Sitti, Metin, Yim, Sehyuk
• Granted Patent: US 9,445,711 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/104
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/00158 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/018 for receiving instruments
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 1/041 Capsule endoscopes for imaging
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 10/02 Instruments for taking cell samples or for biopsy A61B10/0038 and A61B10/0045 take precedence; needle locating or guiding means A61B17/3403; samplers for enzymology or microbiology C12M1/26; sampling or preparing biological specimens G01N33/48
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 18/04 by heating by applying electromagnetic radiation A61B18/18; hyperthermia using electric or magnetic fields, radiation or ultrasound A61N
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2017/00221 with wireless transmission of data, e.g. by infrared radiation or radiowaves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2051 Electromagnetic tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/731 Arrangement of the coils or magnets
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/064 for measuring force, pressure or mechanical tension
• 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 34/73 Manipulators for magnetic surgery
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/062 using magnetic field
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/073 Intestinal transmitters
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6861 Capsules, e.g. for swallowing or implanting
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/6879 Means for maintaining contact with the body A61B5/6847 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/361 Image-producing devices, e.g. surgical cameras

Abstract

Present invention describes a swallowable device with a soft, compliant exterior, whose shape can be changed through the use of magnetic fields, and which can be locomoted in a rolling motion through magnetic control from the exterior of the patient. The present invention could be used for a variety of medical applications inside the GI tract including but not limited to drug delivery, biopsy, heat cauterization, pH sensing, biochemical sensing, micro-surgery, and active imaging.

Claims

1. A system to actuate a capsule endoscopic robot within an organ of a patient positioned on a patient bed, the system comprising:

an external magnetic field generator capable of generating a magnetic field;

an actuator juxtaposition to the patient bed and connected to the external magnetic field generator to traverse the external magnetic field generator in at least one linear or rotational direction relative to the patient bed;

a controller in communication with the external magnetic field generator to control a rotational direction of the rotatable magnetic field and a rotational speed of the rotatable magnetic field, and in communication with the actuator to control a position of the external magnetic field generator juxtaposition the patient bed; and

wherein the capsule endoscopic robot includes at least one permanent magnet being attracted to and being capable of alignment with the rotatable magnetic field,

wherein the rotatable magnetic field is capable of simultaneously drawing the capsule endoscopic robot in contact with a wall of the organ and inducing an alignment torque onto the capsule endoscopic robot to cause the capsule endoscopic robot to maintain continuous contact with the wall of the organ as the capsule endoscopic robot rolls in a plane coincident with the at least one linear direction of the external magnetic field generator to traverse the capsule endoscopic robot in the least one linear direction, and

wherein the capsule endoscopic robot rotates in a rotational direction opposite to the rotational direction of the rotatable magnet field.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the external magnetic field generator is an external permanent magnet being capable of rotation greater than 360 degrees about an axis.

3. A compliant capsule endoscopic robot for diagnosis and treatment comprising:

a first head having a recess with an outwardly oriented open end and an exterior surface, wherein the recess is sized to receive an internal permanent magnet;

a second head having an exterior surface;

a plurality of side linkages made of resilient material capable of elastic deformation under a preload to return to an original shape upon the removal of the preload,

wherein each side linkage of the plurality of side linkages includes a first end and a second end,

wherein the first end of the each side linkage of the plurality of side linkages is attached to the exterior surface of the first head,

wherein the second end of the each side linkage of the plurality of side linkages is attached to the exterior surface of the second head; and

only a single internal permanent magnet disposed in the recess of the first head.

4. The compliant capsule endoscopic robot according to claim 3, wherein the recess is further sized to receive an optical device with wireless communications.

5. The compliant capsule endoscopic robot according to claim 3, wherein the recess is further sized to receive an drug repository chamber, wherein the drug repository chamber comprises an outlet port to release a drug contained within the drug repository chamber when the drug repository chamber is compressed.

6. The compliant capsule endoscopic robot according to claim 3, further comprising a cauterization device.

7. The compliant capsule endoscopic robot according to claim 3, further comprising a biopsy device.

8. A compliant capsule endoscopic robot for diagnosis and treatment comprising:

a first head having a recess with an outwardly oriented open end and an exterior surface, wherein the recess is sized to receive in the outwardly oriented open end a first internal permanent magnet;

a second head having a recess with an open end and an exterior surface, wherein the recess is sized to receive in the open end a second internal permanent magnet; and

a plurality of side linkages made of resilient material capable of elastic deformation under a preload to return to an original shape upon the removal of the preload,

wherein each side linkage of the plurality of side linkages includes a first end and a second end,

wherein the first end of the each side linkage of the plurality of side linkages is attached to the exterior surface of the first head,

wherein the second end of the each side linkage of the plurality of side linkages is attached to the exterior surface of the second head.

9. The compliant capsule endoscopic robot according to claim 8, wherein the first recess is further sized to receive in the outwardly oriented open end an optical device with wireless communications.

10. The compliant capsule endoscopic robot according to claim 8, wherein the first recess is further sized to receive in the outwardly oriented open end an drug repository chamber, wherein the drug repository chamber comprises an outlet port to release a drug contained within the drug repository chamber when the drug repository chamber is compressed.

11. A method to actuate a capsule endoscopic robot within an organ of a patient positioned on a patient bed, the method comprising the steps of:

a. providing an external magnetic field generator capable of generating a rotatable magnetic field;

b. providing the capsule endoscopic robot within the organ, wherein the capsule endoscopic robot includes at least one permanent magnet being attracted to and being capable of alignment with the rotatable magnetic field;

c. positioning the external magnetic field generator juxtaposition the patient bed in proximity of the organ containing the capsule endoscopic robot;

d. generating the rotatable magnetic field to simultaneously draw the capsule endoscopic robot in contact with a wall of the organ and induce an alignment torque onto the capsule endoscopic robot; and

e. traversing the external magnetic field generator in at least one linear or rotational direction while maintaining the rotatable magnetic field to cause the capsule endoscopic robot to roll in a plane coincident with the at least one linear or rotational direction of the external magnetic field generator such that the capsule endoscopic robot maintains continuous contact with the wall of the organ while the capsule endoscopic robot traverses in the least one linear or rotational direction.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

f. providing the capsule endoscopic robot with an optical device; and

g. activating the optical device to record images.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

h. providing the capsule endoscopic robot with a biopsy device; and

i. activating the biopsy device to extract a tissue sample from the organ.

14. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

j. providing the capsule endoscopic robot with a localization sensor;

k. moving the external magnetic field generator from a first vertical position to a second vertical position closer to the patient bed to increase a magnetic force onto the capsule endoscopic robot to deform the capsule endoscopic robot to activate the localization sensor to emit a signal of coordinates of the capsule endoscopic robot at a first linear position;

l. retracting the external magnetic field generator from the second vertical position to the first vertical position to restore an initial shape of the capsule endoscopic robot;

m. traversing the external magnetic field generator from the first linear position to a second linear position;

n. repeating steps k-m until a predetermined number of position coordinates of the capsule endoscopic robot have been collected; and

o. compiling the position coordinates of the capsule endoscopic robot to map a contour of a wall of the organ.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

p. providing the capsule endoscopic robot with a drug chamber;

q. moving the external magnetic field generator from a first vertical position to a second vertical position closer to the patient bed to increase a magnetic force onto the capsule endoscopic robot to deform the capsule endoscopic robot to release a drug though an aperture in the drug chamber at a first linear position;

r. retracting the external magnetic field generator from the second vertical position to the first vertical position to restore an initial shape of the capsule endoscopic robot;

s. traversing the external magnetic field generator from the first linear position to a second linear position; and

t. repeating steps q-s until a predetermined number of doses of the drug have been released in the organ.

16. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

u. providing the capsule endoscopic robot with a drug chamber having one or more apertures for passive release of a drug contained within the drug chamber.

17. The method according to claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

v. co-axially aligning the external magnetic field generator with the capsule endoscopic robot;

w. moving the external magnetic field generator from a first vertical position to a second vertical position closer to the patient bed to increase a magnetic force onto the capsule endoscopic robot to deform the capsule endoscopic robot at a first position;

x. recording deformation of a tissue at the first position when a maximum deformation of the capsule endoscopic robot occurs;

y. retracting the external magnetic field generator from the second vertical position to the first vertical position to restore an initial shape of the capsule endoscopic robot;

z. traversing the external magnetic field generator from the first linear position to a second linear position to record tissue deformation at a second position; and

aa. repeating steps w-z until a predetermined number of deformations of the capsule endoscopic robot have been collected to form a plurality of deformations relative to a plurality of positions.

18. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

ab. preparing a 3D map of the plurality of deformations relative to the plurality of positions.

19. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

ac. determining compliance of the tissue based on the plurality of deformations relative to the plurality of positions.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the step of determining compliance of the tissue comprising the step of:

ad. estimating an effective stiffness coefficient for the tissue for each position of the plurality of positions.

21. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the step of:

ae. preparing a 3D map of the plurality of deformations relative to the plurality of positions;

af. estimating an effective stiffness coefficient for the tissue for each position of the plurality of positions based on compliance of the tissue of the plurality of deformations relative to the plurality of positions; and

ag. combining the effective stiffness coefficient for the tissue with the 3D map to build a compliance map,

whereby a tumor or other abnormal growth will be detected or classified non-invasively.

22. The method according to claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

ah. providing the capsule endoscopic robot with a hall-effect sensor; and

ai. wherein the step of recording deformation of a tissue at the first position when a maximum deformation of the capsule endoscopic robot occurs further comprises the step of recording deformation of a tissue at the first position when the hall-effect sensor is actuated by a maximum deformation of the capsule endoscopic robot.