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Colorectal cancer can be prevented and cured in case of early diagnosis. However, conventional flexible colonoscopes which are most commonly used for colon inspection and treatment still have two major limitations: (i) patient discomfort related to the colonoscopy procedure without sedation; (ii) high skill requirements for endoscopists.
This project proposes and designs an electromagnetically actuated soft-tethered (EAST) colonoscope which is also equipped with regular diagnostic and therapeutic functions. It can achieve painless colonoscopy without sedation due to the active locomotion under external magnetic fields as well as the gentle interaction with the human colon. A system with autonomous navigation and polyp detection based on artificial intelligence is also developed to introduce easy and intelligent manipulation of the colonoscope, which thus reduces the skill requirement and workload of endoscopists, and helps enhance the social acceptance and availability of regular colon inspection.
Uniqueness and Competitive Advantages:
- Equipped with regular diagnostic and therapeutic functions as the conventional flexible colonoscope
- Painless colonoscopy without sedation
- Low skill requirements and workload for endoscopists with easy manipulation and assisted functions of the colonoscope, such as autonomous navigation and poly detection
- High autonomy, enabling rapid colonoscopy and enhancing the availability of the regular colon inspection