A system for performing non-invasive networked medical procedures including a number of in vivo medical devices, a communication path between at least two of the devices, an ex vivo control unit to control the behavior of the devices, and a wireless communication path between the control unit and at least one of the devices. An associated method for performing non-invasive networked medical procedures is also provided. Further included is a simulation method that utilizes accurate electromagnetic field simulations, using a software based test bench, to determine the maximum allowable transmitted power levels from in vivo devices to achieve a required bit error rates (BER) at an in vivo or ex vivo node (receiver) while maintaining the specific absorption rate (SAR) under a required threshold.

Ingestible devices with a relatively large payload volume or sample volume, as well as related components, systems and methods, are disclosed.

A device and method for example operating an in vivo imaging device wherein the illumination is operated at a certain rate or range of rates, and images are transmitted from the device.

A body-mountable device is provided to facilitate communication, via in-body electrical signals transmitted via electrodes of the body-mountable device into fluid of the body, with a smart pill located in a gastrointestinal tract of a body to which the body-mountable device is mounted or with some other device located within the body. The body-mountable device can be a contact lens or other eye-mountable device such that the electrodes of the eye-mountable device can transmit in-body electrical signals via tear fluid. The body-mountable device could transmit a command to the smart pill to dispense a drug into the body. The smart pill could transmit, via in-body electrical signals, an indication of a detected property of the gastrointestinal tract to the body-mountable device. A latency of transmission of signals between the body-mountable device and the smart pill could be used to determine the location of the smart pill within the gastrointestinal tract.

This invention relates to a robot to improve the inspection of a pipe or lumen. More particularly, this invention relates to a soft-pneumatic robot for endoscopy that is suitable for performing colonoscopy procedures. The robot of this invention comprises leading and tailing balloons configured for selective inflation to anchor a portion of the robot within the pipe or lumen and a soft-pneumatic actuator that is located between the leading balloon and the trailing balloon. The soft-pneumatic actuator is operable to extend or contract the robot in a longitudinal direction, in addition to positioning the leading balloon in a 360 degree circumference around the longitudinal direction by pneumatically controlling a fluid within a plurality of chambers within the soft-pneumatic actuator.

A specimen bag configured for viewing the contents therein during a surgical procedure is provided. The specimen bag includes an open end and a closed end and defines a cavity. An appendage extends from the bag and defines a channel in communication with the cavity of the bag for receiving a surgical instrument.

A capsule endoscope system includes a capsule endoscope and a receiving device. The capsule endoscope outputs execution command at a timing at which work instruction data is received when movement speed is low, and outputs the execution command at a timing at which output of the execution command is instructed when the movement speed is high. The receiving device generates the work execution condition data and the work instruction data based on operations of an operator, and transmits the work execution condition data and the work instruction data to the capsule endoscope.

The present invention provides a system and single or multi-functional element device that can be inserted and temporarily placed or implanted into a structure having a lumen or hollow space, such as a subject's abdominal cavity to provide therewith access to the site of interest in connection with minimally invasive surgical procedures. The insertable device may be configured such that the functional elements have various degrees of freedom of movement with respect to orienting the functional elements or elements to provide access to the site from multiple and different orientations/perspectives as the procedure dictates, e.g., to provide multiple selectable views of the site, and may provide a stereoscopic view of the site of interest.

An in-vivo imaging device for capturing one or more narrow band images of the gastrointestinal tract, or other body lumens or cavities of a patient, using one or more narrow band illumination sources and an imager having an array of light sensitive elements.

A control device for a capsule endoscope is provided. The control device includes a balance arm device, a permanent magnet, a 2-DOF rotary platform and an examination bed. The bottom of the balance arm device is fixed, and the active end of the balance arm device connects with a boom. The 2-DOF rotary platform is fixed below the boom and the permanent magnet is located in the 2-DOF rotary platform. The examination bed is put below the 2-DOF rotary platform, and the area between the examination bed and the 2-DOF rotary platform is an examination area.