Expansion capsules for diet control with artificial organ technology.

When we consider the medical economy, the Obesity is one of the leading preventable causes of death worldwide. However, a lot of previous scientific papers reported that 95% of obesity patients would not be able to control their weight by the diet. The surgical operation has been considered to the subjects with severe obesity. But, there is a possibility of complication or comorbidity in surgical operation. Tohoku University started to develop the expanding capsule with transcutaneous energy transmission system (TETS) having the same effect as the surgical operation. The capsule in the stomach will expand mechanically by energy transmission from outsides of the body, when the obesity patients will felt hungry. Small linear drive with folding umbrella type actuator would enable us the expansion of the diet capsules. Satisfactory characteristic of the energy transmission was obtained by the trial model of TETS during animal experiments. Animal experiments with healthy adult goats enabled us the evaluation of the inner stomach pressure time series changes, and feasibility study. Double blind test of the expanding capsule is now under planning. If the expanding capsule diet control system will be embodied, it becomes the gospel of the obese subject.