title: Design of a wireless anchoring and extending micro robot system for gastrointestinal tract.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diagnosis and treatment using a conventional endoscope in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract are very common nowadays. However, endoscopy has some disadvantages.
  
  
  METHODS
  This paper describes a wireless micro-robot for active locomotion in the GI tract. After design and analysis of the anchoring-extending gait, two mechanisms were developed to meet the gait requirements. These actuation and transmission mechanisms were demonstrated in detail to explain the gait implementation. The mechanisms were driven by a micro-brush direct current motor with a micro-normal module (m = 0.2 mm) gearbox. The force of the mechanisms was tested to guarantee the sufficiency of the gait and the safety of the robot. After mounting a dedicated video capture unit and wireless power receiving coils, in vitro experiments were conducted to show the feasibility of locomotion by wireless power supply.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The assembled micro-robot was 13 mm in diameter and 90 mm in length, with a velocity of 1 mm/s at 500 mW power consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The proposed anchoring and extending intestinal micro-robot met the requirements of intestinal disease diagnosis and treatment.
authors.affiliation: IEE, Shanghai Jiao Tong University. linwayne@sjtu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Yuting
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: Guozheng
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yan
mesh_terms: D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D013505:Digestive System Surgical Procedures / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008904:Miniaturization; D009038:Motion; D012371:Robotics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014584:User-Computer Interface; D059015:Wireless Technology / Q000295:instrumentation*