A self-propelling endoscope system by squirmy robot

More and more miniature robots are used for human-oriented purposes, one of which is for medical inspection. A new model miniature robot for intestinal inspection based on earthworm is designed in this paper, and its diameter and length are /spl phi/ 8.8 mm and 72 mm respectively. The micro robot is driven by stepper motor, which has better performance and simple design. The structure and locomotion mechanism of this robot are introduced. The mechanical model of it is build, and the control system and software design are discussed in detail. Some actuating characteristics experiments have been done when the micro robot creeps in the declining rubber and glass tubes. The experiment results show that this kind of robot can move reliably in horizontal and a certain declining tubes. This research has laid foundation for the application of the miniature robot endoscope.