Animal studies show the functions of MIT’s soft robotic enteroscope

An experimental device for exploring the small intestine

The small intestine can be difficult to examine and treat: it is more than 20 feet long, about one inch in diameter, and located deep within the body. Problems doctors seek to evaluate include bleeding, lesions, and blockages. According to MIT, the technique used to examine these complications is double-balloon enteroscopy, a procedure in which two balloons are alternately inflated and deflated to help advance the instrument. The team describes this process as slow and labor-intensive. MIT

To address this challenge, MIT engineers designed a soft robotic enteroscope that can travel through the narrow intestinal passage and incorporates tools for imaging, delivering medication, and taking biopsies or removing small polyps. The institutional report states that the study appeared in Science Robotics. The results described are from animal studies: they do not constitute a demonstration of clinical efficacy in patients. MIT

The team aims to develop an alternative that is easier to control and could contribute to a more automated assessment of the small intestine. What has been reported so far is experimental testing of movement and tool operation; MIT does not report human trials or that the device has replaced current procedures. MIT

Movement inspired by snakes and kirigami

The robot combines two mechanisms for movement. Its multifunctional actuators contain four chambers that inflate in different combinations. By regulating the air entering them, the device can extend or bend in different directions. MIT compares this form of movement to a snake’s locomotion: a snake changes the muscle contraction from one side of its body to the other to steer its movement. MIT

The head and tail segments include expandable anchoring balloons that inflate and deflate in turn, helping the robot move forward. The researchers added sleeves with patterns inspired by kirigami, a technique that combines cuts and folds. As the balloon expands, the sleeve stretches and causes small three-dimensional structures to protrude, increasing traction on the slippery surface of the intestinal lining. MIT

The team describes this grip as a way to achieve localized traction without relying on overstretching delicate intestinal tissue. The system includes electronics for navigation and a cable connecting the robot to external controls; the operator can guide it through narrow passages and bends. MIT says the device is designed to be inserted through the mouth or rectum, but does not present results comparing these routes or establishing the circumstances in which each would be used. MIT

What the animal studies showed

In animal studies, the robot traveled about six and a half feet through the small intestine. The researchers also demonstrated the camera, the spray device for delivering drugs, and the clips for taking tissue samples or removing polyps. These observations describe experimental capabilities; by themselves, they do not establish safety, diagnostic efficacy, or therapeutic benefit in people. MIT

The table summarizes the functions and level of demonstration reported in the institutional article; it does not compare performance with double-balloon enteroscopy or other devices.

Navigation and next steps

The team says it is working to improve the navigation systems and test additional applications in the small intestine. These are ongoing efforts, not completed results. MIT’s report credits researchers at the institution with the development and names Giovanni Traverso, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT and a gastroenterologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, as the senior lead author. It also identifies Binbin Ying, Ahmad Mujtaba Jebran, and Sahab Babaee as lead authors. MIT

NSF pages provide general context, not evidence about this robot. The agency describes research programs in materials, including bioinspired materials and materials intended for applications involving contact with biological systems; this information does not independently confirm the device’s design or results. NSF: Materials Research

NSF also explains that it supports science and engineering, primarily through grants. This institutional description does not demonstrate the enteroscope’s performance or indicate that NSF funded this project. NSF: Research Support

Overall, MIT’s report describes a prototype that traveled a limited distance in animal intestines and demonstrated integrated tools for imaging, delivering drugs, and taking or removing tissue. The team says it is working to improve navigation and explore other applications; the available information does not establish when it might be tested in patients or whether it will be used in clinical practice.