A contact-type endoscope surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) probe includes a gradient-index (GRIN) lens, a transparent substrate adhered to the GRIN lens, and a rough metallic layer adhered to an opposite side of the transparent substrate from the GRIN lens. The GRIN lens focuses light from a Raman spectrometer onto the rough metallic layer, and the rough metallic layer is positioned at the distal end of the contact-type endoscope SERS probe.

A flexible endoscope of the present invention includes a catheter portion and a connection plug. The catheter portion includes an image guide, a light guide, and a catheter tube that surrounds the image guide and the light guide in a longitudinal direction, and the connection plug includes a hollow cover that accommodates the proximal end of the catheter tube, a flexible tube that protrudes from the hollow cover and through which the catheter tube is passed, a first connection terminal that is connected to the light guide extending from the proximal end of the catheter tube, and a second connection terminal that is connected to the image guide extending from the proximal end of the catheter tube. The image guide and the light guide are slidable inside the catheter tube, and at least one of the image guide and the light guide is arranged curved inside the hollow cover of the connection plug.

A method for characterizing a state of an end effector of an ultrasonic device is disclosed. The ultrasonic device including an electromechanical ultrasonic system defined by a predetermined resonant frequency. The electromechanical ultrasonic system further including an ultrasonic transducer coupled to an ultrasonic blade. The method including applying, by an energy source, a power level to the ultrasonic transducer; measuring, by a control circuit coupled to a memory, an impedance value of the ultrasonic transducer; comparing, by the control circuit, the impedance value to a reference impedance value stored in the memory; classifying, by the control circuit, the impedance value based on the comparison; characterizing, by the control circuit, the state of the electromechanical ultrasonic system based on the classification of the impedance value; and adjusting, by the control circuit, the power level applied to the ultrasonic transducer based on the characterization of the state of the end effector.

A medical control device includes: a light source controller configured to modulate pulsed light by changing a crest value of a pulsed current and emit the pulsed light a plurality of times from the light source in one frame; an imaging controller configured to cause an image sensor to sequentially generate a pixel signal at a specific frame rate; and an image processor configured to use a pixel signal obtained by multiplying the pixel signal for specific one frame from each pixel of a specific horizontal line by a ratio of an amount of exposure of specific pulsed light made in the specific one frame to a total exposure amount obtained by adding each exposure amount of all of the pulsed lights exposing the specific horizontal line within the specific one frame including an illumination period of the specific pulsed light.

Various surgical systems are disclosed. A surgical system can include a surgical robot and a surgical hub. The surgical robot can include a control unit in signal communication with a control console and a robotic tool. The surgical hub can include a display. The surgical hub can be in signal communication with the control unit. A facility can include a plurality of surgical hubs that communicate data from the surgical robots to a primary server. To alleviate bandwidth competition among the surgical hubs, the surgical hubs can include prioritization protocols for collecting, storing, and/or communicating data to the primary server.

A distal end portion of a medical device may comprise an image capturing component; a light source; and an encapsulation having inner surfaces contacting and at least partially encompassing the image capturing component and the light source. A shape of the inner surfaces may be mirror image of a shape of exterior surfaces of the image capturing component and the light source that are contacted by the inner surfaces.

An imaging module includes an imaging element including a light receiving surface, an electrode surface on a side opposite to the light receiving surface, and imaging element electrodes formed on the electrode surface, a substrate including a first surface, a second surface on a side opposite to the first surface, and a first end surface facing the electrode surface, a cable portion having a conductor electrically connected to the imaging element electrodes via a wire on the substrate, a sealing resin that covers at least the first surface and the second surface, and an identification resin attached to a portion of the sealing resin on the first surface or a portion of the sealing resin on the second surface.

An ingestible device comprising a capsule, a camera, an antenna, and a propulsion component id disclosed. The camera can capture images of various in vivo environments as the ingestible device traverses the gastrointestinal tract, and these images can be wirelessly transmitted to an electronic device located outside of the living body. The images may be transmitted to the electronic device for review by an operator responsible for controlling the ingestible device.

A tethered imaging camera encapsulated in a shell lens element of such camera enables viewing from inside and imaging of a biological organ in/from a variety of directions. A portion of camera's optical system together with light source(s) and optical detector mutually cooperated by housing structure inside the shell are moveable/re-orientable within the shell to vary a desired view of the object space without interruption of imaging process. A tether carries electrical but not optical signals to and from the camera and controllable traction cords to move the camera, and a hand-control unit and/or electronic circuitry configured to operate the camera and power its movements. Method(s) of using optical, optoelectronic, and optoelectromechanical sub-systems of the camera.

An illuminator including a receptacle for connecting a light cable to an illuminator. The receptacle includes a clamp assembly having a plurality of clamping jaws that are moveable from an open configuration in which a connecter of the light cable can be positioned between the clamping jaws for receiving light traveling in a light pathway in the illuminator to a closed configuration in which the clamping jaws completely block the light pathway, and a clutch that is movable between an engaged position for holding the clamping jaws in the open configuration and a disengaged position for allowing the clamping jaws to move to a gripped configuration and to the closed configuration, the clutch can be pushed by the connector when the connector is positioned between the clamping jaws to move the clutch out of the engaged position so that the clamp assembly moves the clamping jaws to the gripped configuration.