Kuka: Colonoscopy robot

2020: Kuka Robotics Colonoscopy Robot Announcement

In mid-October 2020, it became known that Kuka, together with the University of Leeds in the UK, has developed a robotic system that can help a doctor or nurse perform a colonoscopy. The system uses magnets to adjust the probe's progress through the gut, and its developers argue that this approach is easier for operators and less painful for patients.

Colonoscopy is extremely necessary to identify various pathologies, including colorectal cancer. However, this is not the most pleasant procedure, and some patients require anesthesia to perform it. One of the researchers, Pietro Valdastri, noted that colonoscopy technology has remained relatively unchanged for many decades, and it's time to modernize it, make it more manageable and less painful for patients. Valdastri believes that this is an important step towards increasing the availability of colonoscopy worldwide, and therefore to early detection of colorectal cancer.

Kuka has developed a robot for colonoscopy

The new system consists of a small capsule connected to a cable. The researchers note that the capsule is much easier to inject into the gut than equipment for traditional colonoscopy. In this case, the external robotic manipulator non-invasively controls the progress of the capsule through the rectum and colon using magnets.

To make the system as convenient as possible, the developers provided users with several levels of control. For example, the system allows the desired area of the colon to be pre-selected for examination and then instructs the robotic arm to automatically move the probe. However, the user can completely retain control of the manipulator using a joystick and semi-autonomous navigation, in which the robot will direct the capsule, and the user, if necessary, will be able to cancel its actions manually.^[1]

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