'Pillbot' Could Explore Inner Human Body
2024-04-28
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1A new, small robotic camera designed to be swallowed for use in medical examinations was recently demonstrated at a conference in Canada.
2The device called PillBot can be guided through a body remotely, meaning electronically from outside.
3Its creators hope the device will replace traditional endoscopies.
4An endoscopy is when a camera attached to a wire is directed down the throat and into a sleeping patient's stomach.
5The company Endiatx based in Hayward, California, developed the device.
6The research hospital, Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, is a partner in the project.
7The PillBot is designed to be the first motorized endoscopic camera.
8Here is how developers say it works: A patient does not eat for one day, then swallows the PillBot with lots of water.
9The PillBot acts like a small submarine controlled by a wireless remote control.
10When the exam is complete, the body will expel the PillBot in the same way it expels other solid waste.
11Dr. Vivek Kumbhari is co-founder of the company.
12He is professor of medicine and chairman of gastroenterology and hepatology at the Mayo Clinic.
13It is the latest step toward his larger goal of making complex medicine more accessible.
14If endoscopies can be moved from a hospital setting to a patient's home, he said, "then I think we have achieved that goal."
15Use of the device would require fewer medical workers and no anesthesia, he said.
16The device provides "a safer, more comfortable approach," he added.
17Kumbhari also said the technology is more efficient and permits people to get treatment earlier in the progress of a disease.
18Alex Luebke is the co-founder of Endiatx.
19He said the PillBot can help people in rural areas where medical centers and treatment are lacking.
20"Especially in developing countries, there is no access" to complex medical care, he said.
21"So being able to have the technology, gather all that information and provide you the solution, even in remote areas - that's the way to do it."
22The micro-robotic pill is undergoing testing.
23It could come before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for consideration in the coming months.
24If approved, the PillBot could be available by 2026.
25Kumbhari hopes the technology can be expanded to the bowels, vascular system, heart, liver, brain and other parts of the body.
26I'm Dan Novak.
1A new, small robotic camera designed to be swallowed for use in medical examinations was recently demonstrated at a conference in Canada. The device called PillBot can be guided through a body remotely, meaning electronically from outside. Its creators hope the device will replace traditional endoscopies. An endoscopy is when a camera attached to a wire is directed down the throat and into a sleeping patient's stomach. 2The company Endiatx based in Hayward, California, developed the device. The research hospital, Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, is a partner in the project. 3The PillBot is designed to be the first motorized endoscopic camera. Here is how developers say it works: A patient does not eat for one day, then swallows the PillBot with lots of water. The PillBot acts like a small submarine controlled by a wireless remote control. When the exam is complete, the body will expel the PillBot in the same way it expels other solid waste. 4Dr. Vivek Kumbhari is co-founder of the company. He is professor of medicine and chairman of gastroenterology and hepatology at the Mayo Clinic. It is the latest step toward his larger goal of making complex medicine more accessible. 5If endoscopies can be moved from a hospital setting to a patient's home, he said, "then I think we have achieved that goal." Use of the device would require fewer medical workers and no anesthesia, he said. The device provides "a safer, more comfortable approach," he added. 6Kumbhari also said the technology is more efficient and permits people to get treatment earlier in the progress of a disease. 7Alex Luebke is the co-founder of Endiatx. He said the PillBot can help people in rural areas where medical centers and treatment are lacking. 8"Especially in developing countries, there is no access" to complex medical care, he said. "So being able to have the technology, gather all that information and provide you the solution, even in remote areas - that's the way to do it." 9The micro-robotic pill is undergoing testing. It could come before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for consideration in the coming months. If approved, the PillBot could be available by 2026. 10Kumbhari hopes the technology can be expanded to the bowels, vascular system, heart, liver, brain and other parts of the body. 11I'm Dan Novak. 12Craig McCulloch reported this story for Voice of America. Dan Novak adapted it for VOA Learning English. 13_______________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15accessible - adj. able to be reached or approached 16achieve - v. to get or reach by working hard 17anesthesia - n. loss of feeling in a person's body or part of the body through the use of drugs 18comfortable - n. not causing any physically unpleasant feelings 19approach - n. to begin to deal with or think about 20bowel - n. the long tube in the body that helps digest food and carries solid waste out of the body 21vascular - n. of or relating to the veins, arteries, etc., that carry fluids through the body