Investigation of Current Control for a New Bi-directional Linear Capsule Robot.

Journal: Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference
PMID:

Abstract

In this paper, a bi-directional linear capsule robot (capsulbot) for potential applications in Gastrointestinal (GI) tract inside human body is studied. Compared with the conventional endoscope limited by its poor locomotion and steering capabilities, active locomotion actuator will play an important role in the diagnosis of narrow organ tract of the human body in the future. This paper studies a new simple-structured actuator that can realize bi-directional linear motion by properly controlling the supplied current profile. It is demonstrated that the linear motion of the new capsulbot is affected by three main factors: current waveform, current duty ratio, and current amplitude. The optimized current profile that can maximize the capsulbot displacement is verified experimentally on a prototype capsulbot.

Authors

  • Linlin Wu
  • Kaiyuan Lu
  • Yongming Xia