Development of a Rolling Stent Endoscope

Colonoscopy is a medical procedure in which a long and flexible endoscope is inserted into the rectum for inspection of the colon and for simple interventions. Pushing the long and flexible endoscope from behind leads easily to buckling, which is accompanied by painful cramps and makes it difficult to complete the procedure. A way to avoid buckling is to use the friction with the intestinal wall to pull the tip forward. This paper presents a new locomotion method based on a rolling donut that is positioned around the endoscope tip. The donut functions like a circular caterpillar and is constructed from three stents that generate high friction with the intestinal wall. The diameter and shape of the donut can be changed and the stents can be driven independently to reduce slip in intestinal curves. The Rolling Stent Endoscope was applied for a patient and a prototype is under construction for evaluation in the intestine of a pig