In what could prove to be a major breakthrough in the field of medicine, researchers have started working on a self-assembling-stomach-bot, which could help in diagnosing and treating a number of ailments. Scientists and researchers from Given Imaging, Israel are working on a swallowable camera that can be used to diagnose and treat illnesses. This camera would be controlled by robotic technology and can provide valuable insight into the functioning of a patient’s internal organs. At the same time, researchers from Italy, France, Switzerland and Spain have formed a collaboration called the ARES and are working on multi-capsules that are snake-like and can self-assemble inside a patient’s stomach.

Such multi-capsules would each have a different function, like imaging, power, and taking samples. These can perform many more complex tasks than a single capsule. However, the researchers are still working on it and the issue is to make sure the self-assembling process happens properly. One group tried using magnets for the assembling process.

Pricing and Availability: The researchers are still working on the concept and the final multi-capsule robotic device, could take much longer and the price isn’t known yet.

Watch This: The battery seems to be the only constraint in reducing the size of the capsules as it takes up more than 60% of the volume. However, the final multi-capsule bot could help treat and diagnose many ailments and avoid invasive methods like endoscopes and surgeries.

Word around the web:

Ary at Ary’s blog:

The ultimate goal is for each capsule to perform a different task: one for imaging, one for power, one to take samples, and so on.

Kurzweil AI says:

By using magnetic links between capsules, a team of European researchers hopes to build a snake-like robot that can self-assemble inside a patient’s stomach to perform different tasks.

Source: TechnologyReview