Robot to Travel Through Human Intestines On Mucus Trail

Instead of having a robot crawl through your intestines, how about it gliding along on a trail of slippery mucus? A group of researchers from Delft University of Technology, in the Netherlands, is taking this novel approach to inter-body exploration in order to protect the delicate lining of the intestines.

The plan is the develop a tube-shaped robot that will have several polymer 'feet'. The feet stick to the mucus lining the inside of the intestines. The forward-most foot will grip the intestine wall while the back feet will be made to slide freely forward by spraying them with water. Then, the back foot will grip the wall, by using a different polymer surface, and the front feet will advance forward. The process can then be repeted to create an inch-worm-like movement through the intestines.

The goal is the test the robot inside a length of pig gut, while it carries a camera and biopsy tool, by the end of the year.