Recently, active research has been conducted on the therapeutic functions of capsule endoscopes. Here, we propose an active capsule system that captures images of the interior of the gastrointestinal tract (GI) and actively delivers therapeutic patches. The active capsule system mainly comprises therapeutic patches, an active capsule equipped with a camera, and a robot-assisted magnetic actuator. The active capsule moves inside the GI tract via a magnetic actuator using a robot, captures pictures of the GI tract in actual time, and performs hemostatic treatment by delivering therapeutic patches to the target lesions. First, the fundamental performance of the active capsule system was verified via a hemostatic performance test of the therapeutic patch, patch contamination prevention test of the active capsule, and basic actuation test of the capsule. Second, multiple therapeutic patches were delivered to the gastric surface in an ex vivo test using an active capsule system. Finally, as a preclinical test, it was confirmed that the GI tract examination and the therapeutic patches delivery were possible using the active capsule system through an animal test using a porcine. Consequently, the proposed active capsule system represents a new paradigm for capsule endoscopy with multiple therapeutic patch delivery capabilities.

Soft continuum robots have been widely used as guide wires or catheters for minimally invasive surgery (MIS), and the miniaturization and dexterity are very important characteristics of soft continuum robots. As a representative actuation method for soft continuum robots, the steering using an external magnetic field has been actively studied. The magnetic actuation method is appropriate for the miniaturization of soft continuum robots but shows limitations in implementing high dexterity. To achieve miniaturization and high dexterity, this paper proposes a magnetically steerable asymmetric magnetized soft continuum robot (AMSCR). The proposed AMSCR includes an active steering part (ASP) of a thin PDMS cylinder in which NdFeB powder is uniformly dispersed and magnetized asymmetrically to the longitudinal direction. Therefore, compared to the conventional symmetric magnetized soft continuum robot (SMSCR), the proposed AMSCR has a larger steering range and high dexterity. Through various experiments, simulations, and phantom experiments using the proposed AMSCR, we analyzed its characteristics, verified its enhanced steering range, and demonstrated the applicability to the surgeries requiring high dexterity in the eye or cerebrovascular.