Wireless reconfigurable modules for robotic endoluminal surgery

In this paper, a reconfigurable modular robotic system is proposed to augment the dexterity of endoluminal interventions in the gastrointestinal tract. In the proposed system, miniaturized robotic modules are ingested and assembled in the stomach cavity. The assembled robot can change its configuration according to the target location, thus enabling complicated surgical tasks. The robotic assembly, the robotic configuration and the surgical tasks are controlled via wireless bidirectional communication. Based on this concept, early prototypes of the robotic modules were designed and fabricated. The developed module has 2DOF (±90° of bending and 360° of rotation), measures 15.4 mm in diameter and 36.5 mm in length. It weighs 5.6 g and contains a Li-Po battery, two brushless DC motors, and a custom-made control board capable of wireless communication. The performance of the bending and rotational motion was evaluated and the future work has been discussed.