The research is published in the scientific journal Nature Machine Intelligence. Patient trials using the system could begin next year or in early 2022. Pietro Valdastri, Professor of Robotics and Autonomous Systems at Leeds is supervising the research. He said: "Colonoscopy gives doctors a window into the world hidden deep inside the human body and it provides a vital role in the screening of diseases such as colorectal cancer. But the technology has remained relatively unchanged for decades.
Because the system is easier to use, the scientists hope this can increase the number of providers who can perform the procedure and allow for greater patient access to colonoscopy. The research team has developed a smaller, capsule-shaped device which is tethered to a narrow cable and is inserted into the anus and then guided into place - not by the doctor or nurse pushing the colonoscope but by a magnet on a robotic arm positioned over the patient.
The robotic arm moves around the patient as it maneuvers the capsule. The system is based on the principle that magnetic forces attract and repel. The magnet on the outside of the patient interacts with tiny magnets in the capsule inside the body, navigating it through the colon. The researchers say it will be less painful than having a conventional colonoscopy.
Guiding the robotic arm can be done manually but it is a technique that is difficult to master. In response, the researchers have developed different levels of robotic assistance. This latest research evaluated how effective the different levels of robotic assistance were in aiding non-specialist staff to carry out the procedure.
Direct robot control. This is where the operator has direct control of the robot via a joystick. In this case, there is no assistance.
Intelligent endoscope teleoperation. The operator focuses on where they want the capsule to be located in the colon, leaving the robotic system to calculate the movements of the robotic arm necessary to get the capsule into place.
Semi-autonomous navigation. The robotic system autonomously navigates the capsule through the colon, using computer vision - although this can be overridden by the operator.
James Martin, a PhD researcher from the University of Leeds who co-led the study, said: "Operating the robotic arm is challenging. It is not very intuitive and that has put a brake on the development of magnetic flexible colonoscopes.
"But we have demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to offload that function to the robotic system, leaving the operator to think about the clinical task they are undertaking - and it is making a measurable difference in human performance."
The techniques developed to conduct colonoscopy examinations could be applied to other endoscopic devices, such as those used to inspect the upper digestive tract or lungs.
Dr Bruno Scaglioni, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Leeds and co-leader of the study, added: "Robot-assisted colonoscopy has the potential to revolutionize the way the procedure is carried out. It means people conducting the examination do not need to be experts in manipulating the device.
"That will hopefully make the technique more widely available, where it could be offered in clinics and health centres rather than hospitals."
MEDICA-tradefair.com; Source: University of Leeds
