Shape memory alloy clamping devices of a capsule for monitoring tasks in the gastrointestinal tract

Menciassi, A,Moglia, A,Gorini, S,Pernorio, G,Stefanini, C,Dario, P IOP 2005 JOURNAL OF MICROMECHANICS AND MICROENGINEERING - Vol.15 No.11

<P>This paper describes the development of an active clamping mechanism to be integrated into a swallowable pill for the diagnosis of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The clamping system allows us to stop the pill at desired sites of the GI tract for long monitoring purposes. After discussing the major technical constraints, the design of the core component, i.e. the gripper, based on FEA (finite element analysis), is illustrated as well as its fabrication process. Symmetric and asymmetric gripper designs are described. The actuation is provided by shape memory alloys (SMA), and it is driven by a dedicated electrical interface. Then the working prototypes have been tested <I>in vitro</I>: for both kinds of grippers a pull-back force up to 0.6 N has been measured. A preliminary theoretical model for the gripper has been derived and compared to the experimental results.</P>

Microrobotics for future gastrointestinal endoscopy

Menciassi, Arianna,Quirini, Marco,Dario, Paolo 0 2007 MINIMALLY INVASIVE THERAPY AND ALLIED TECHNOLOGIES Vol.16 No.2

<P> The impulse given by robotic technologies and imaging techniques to the development of a new way to conceive and perform surgery is clearly visible. Nowadays, minimally invasive surgical (MIS) procedures are often performed with the assistance of robots, such as the Da Vinci master-slave system, the AESOP robot with voice control, etc. In addition, mechatronic technologies are becoming the elective technologies for designing advanced hand-held surgical tools. The introduction of robotic technologies in endoscopy has been slower than in MIS, since the development of miniaturized robotic components for entering the small orifices of the human body is difficult. On the other hand, the large contribution that robotic technologies could bring to endoluminal techniques has been evident since the first development of instrumented catheters. In the 1990s, there was an increasing activity in the application of robotic technologies to improve endoscopic procedures in the gastrointestinal tract. The objective of robotic colonoscopy and gastroscopy was to obtain more effective diagnoses in terms of reduced pain for the patients, and to make uniform the diagnostic procedures, which too often depended on the manual abilities of the endoscopist. Currently, the availability of more reliable robotic technologies for miniaturization of size and integration of functions has allowed to conceive and develop robotic pills for the early screening of the digestive tract, with dramatic potential advantages for patients, endoscopists, and healthcare system.</P>

Endoscopy in the Gastrointestinal Tract : Perspectives of Autonomous Mini Rovots

Dario, Paolo,Menciassi, Arianna The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers 2002 전기의 세계 Vol.51 No.5

Endoscopy in the Gastrointestinal Tract : Perspectives of Autonomous Mini Robots

Paolo Dario,Arianna Menciassi 대한전기학회 2002 전기의 세계 Vol.51 No.5

An endoscopic capsule robot: a meso-scale engineering case study

Quaglia, Claudio,Buselli, Elisa,Webster III, Robert J,Valdastri, Pietro,Menciassi, Arianna,Dario, Paolo IOP 2009 JOURNAL OF MICROMECHANICS AND MICROENGINEERING - Vol.19 No.10

<P>A number of unique challenges arise in fabricating and assembling complex mechanisms at the meso-scale (hundreds of microns to centimetres). In general, for a complex multi-part mechanism at this length scale, no single machining technique can produce all the necessary parts—or often even a single individual part. Towards developing a comprehensive set of ‘best practices’ for combining multiple precision micromachining operations at the meso-scale, we present a case study on fabricating and assembling an endoscopic capsule robot. Existing passive imaging capsules have proven exceptionally useful in the diagnosis of the gastrointestinal tract, and robotic capsules promise to enhance their diagnostic capabilities and enable non-invasive treatment delivery. In this case study, we describe the fabrication of a robotic capsule (2.6 cm<SUP>3</SUP> in volume) containing a complex mechanism consisting of 72 components, each of which requires a variety of meso- or even micro-scale features. We describe the manufacturing processes used to produce these components and features (combinations of high precision, multiply refixtured computer numerical control processes, sink and wire electro discharge machining, laser cutting, etc). These results contribute to the emerging framework of best practices in meso-scale design and manufacture, illustrating ways to effectively combine several processes to produce a complex meso-scale device.</P>

Microtechnologies in medicine: An overview

Schurr, Marc O.,Schostek, Sebastian,Ho, Chi-Nghia,Rieber, Fabian,Menciassi, Arianna 0 2007 MINIMALLY INVASIVE THERAPY AND ALLIED TECHNOLOGIES Vol.16 No.2

<P> Microsystems technology (MST) has become a significant enabler of novel medical devices and implants over the last years. Typical examples are MST units in cardiac rhythm management devices or in hearing implants. A classification of medical MST applications can be made according to their relationship with the anatomy that is based on the kind and duration of interaction with the human body: Class 1: Extra-corporeal devices such as telemetric health monitoring systems or point of care testing systems. Class 2: Intra-corporeal devices such as intelligent surgical instruments. Class 3: Temporarily incorporated or ingested devices, such as telemetric endoscopes. Class 4: Long-term implantable devices such as telemetric implants. Medical applications of MST are growing at double-digit compounded growth rates, leading to a forecasted global market volume of over USD 1 billion in 2006 or 2007, making MST devices a relevant segment of the medical technology market. The clinical foundation for promoting the use of MST in medicine is mainly based on the significant potential of MST to enable products that improve early disease detection and the monitoring of chronic illnesses. This refers to a number of the most important health problems such as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes and cancer, to name just a few. More recently microrobotics has become a relevant research area for enabling the atraumatic transport of MST-enhanced diagnostic and therapeutic devices inside the human body.</P>

A New Mechanism for Mesoscale Legged Locomotion in Compliant Tubular Environments

Valdastri, P.,Webster, R.J.,Quaglia, C.,Quirini, M.,Menciassi, A.,Dario, P. IEEE 2009 IEEE Transactions on Robotics Vol.25 No.5

<P>We present design and experimental performance results for a novel mechanism for robotic legged locomotion at the mesoscale (from hundreds of microns to tens of centimeters). The new mechanism is compact and strikes a balance between conflicting design objectives, exhibiting high foot forces and low power consumption. It enables a small robot to traverse a compliant, slippery, tubular environment, even while climbing against gravity. This mechanism is useful for many mesoscale locomotion tasks, including endoscopic capsule robot locomotion in the gastrointestinal tract. It has enabled fabrication of the first legged endoscopic capsule robot whose mechanical components match the dimensions of commercial pill cameras (11 mm diameter by 25 mm long). A novel slot-follower mechanism driven via lead screw enables the mechanical components of the capsule robot to be as small while simultaneously generating 0.63 N average propulsive force at each leg tip. In this paper, we describe kinematic and static analyses of the lead screw and slot-follower mechanisms, optimization of design parameters, and experimental design and tuning of a gait suitable for locomotion. A series of <I>ex vivo</I> experiments demonstrate capsule performance and ability to traverse the intestine in a manner suitable for inspection of the colon in a time period equivalent to standard colonoscopy.</P>