Do you remember children’s educational shows like “The Magic School Bus” or “Sineskwela”? Some episodes involve the main characters entering a person’s digestive tract to demonstrate its functions. Pillbot lets us do that in real life.
It is a minuscule, digestive camera with propellers that lets doctors look around your stomach. They will gather information before your stomach acid safely melts the device.
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PIllbot could become a non-invasive method of finding intestinal cancers without costly CT or MRI scans. As a result, it could make cancer treatments more accessible.
How does Pillbot work?
California-based medtech firm Endiatx created Pillbot as a virtual endoscope or a “moving eyeball in the stomach.” Interesting Engineering says it is roughly the size of a pistachio and moves like a multicopter drone.
Specifically, it measures 13mm by 30mm and has cameras, sensors, and pumpjet thrusters. Endiatx CEO Torrey Smith said, “It can transmit high-res video at 2.3 megapixels per second.”
The patient ingests Pillbot, and the doctor uses a smartphone app to control the robot within the patient’s stomach. Also, the endoscopy capsule shuts down and exits the body naturally within six to 24 hours.
Endiatx says this machine could save those with limited access to hospitals. Moreover, it greatly enhances telemedicine by enabling doctors to scan a patient’s stomach remotely.
Let’s say you need to get your stomach checked for potential cancers. Your telemedicine doctor may ask you to ingest Pillbot during your conversation.
The doctor will control the bot remotely with an app and then discuss what he sees in real time. Soon, this technology could become a non-invasive alternative to CT scans and surgery.
Endiatx plans to add AI to Pillbot so that it can perform routine internal organ check-ups automatically. Moreover, the medtech firm wants to expand its usage to other body parts like the heart, liver, and brain.