Toward tetherless insufflation of the GI Tract.

Toward increasing the diagnostic ability of wireless capsule endoscopy, we propose a method to wirelessly insufflate the Gastrointestinal Tract. By increasing the viewable surface area, it appears likely that capsule-based insufflation may reduce the number of false negative diagnoses made by endoscopic capsules. Our approach to wireless insufflation is to utilize controlled phase transition of a small volume of fluid stored onboard the capsule to a large volume of gas that is then emitted into the intestine.

Robotic mastoidectomy.

Hypothesis: Using image-guided surgical techniques, we propose that an industrial robot can be programmed to safely, effectively, and efficiently perform a mastoidectomy.

Background: Whereas robotics is a mature field in many surgical applications, robots have yet to be clinically used in otologic surgery despite significant advantages including reliability and precision.

Methods: We designed a robotic system that incorporates custom software with an industrial robot to manipulate a surgical drill through a complex milling profile.