第2182期:‘Pillbot’ Could Explore Inner Human Body

A new, small robotic camera designed to be swallowed for use in medical examinations was recently demonstrated at a conference in Canada. The device called PillBot can be guided through a body remotely, meaning electronically from outside. Its creators hope the device will replace traditional endoscopies. An endoscopy is when a camera attached to a wire is directed down the throat and into a sleeping patient’s stomach.最近在加拿大的一次会议上展示了一种新型小型机器人相机，其设计可被吞咽以用于医学检查。 这种名为 PillBot 的设备可以通过身体远程引导，即从外部以电子方式引导。 它的创造者希望该设备能够取代传统的内窥镜。 内窥镜检查是将连接在电线上的摄像头引导到熟睡患者的喉咙并进入胃部。

The company Endiatx based in Hayward, California, developed the device. The research hospital, Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota, is a partner in the project.总部位于加利福尼亚州海沃德的 Endiatx 公司开发了该设备。 位于明尼苏达州罗彻斯特的研究医院梅奥诊所是该项目的合作伙伴。

The PillBot is designed to be the first motorized endoscopic camera. Here is how developers say it works: A patient does not eat for one day, then swallows the PillBot with lots of water. The PillBot acts like a small submarine controlled by a wireless remote control. When the exam is complete, the body will expel the PillBot in the same way it expels other solid waste.PillBot 被设计为第一台电动内窥镜摄像机。 开发人员介绍其工作原理是这样的：患者一天不进食，然后用大量的水吞下 PillBot。 PillBot 就像一艘由无线遥控器控制的小型潜艇。 检查完成后，身体会像排出其他固体废物一样排出 PillBot。

Dr. Vivek Kumbhari is co-founder of the company. He is professor of medicine and chairman of gastroenterology and hepatology at the Mayo Clinic. It is the latest step toward his larger goal of making complex medicine more accessible.Vivek Kumbhari 博士是该公司的联合创始人。 他是梅奥诊所的医学教授兼胃肠病学和肝病学主席。 这是他朝着让复杂医学更容易获得的更大目标迈出的最新一步。

If endoscopies can be moved from a hospital setting to a patient’s home, he said, "then I think we have achieved that goal." Use of the device would require fewer medical workers and no anesthesia, he said. The device provides "a safer, more comfortable approach,” he added.他说，如果内窥镜检查可以从医院转移到患者家中，“那么我认为我们已经实现了这一目标。” 他说，使用该设备将需要更少的医务人员，并且不需要麻醉。 他补充说，该设备提供了“一种更安全、更舒适的方法”。

Kumbhari also said the technology is more efficient and permits people to get treatment earlier in the progress of a disease.Kumbhari 还表示，该技术更有效，可以让人们在疾病进展的早期得到治疗。

Alex Luebke is the co-founder of Endiatx. He said the PillBot can help people in rural areas where medical centers and treatment are lacking.Alex Luebke 是 Endiatx 的联合创始人。 他说 PillBot 可以帮助缺乏医疗中心和治疗的农村地区的人们。

"Especially in developing countries, there is no access" to complex medical care, he said. "So being able to have the technology, gather all that information and provide you the solution, even in remote areas - that's the way to do it.”他说，“特别是在发展中国家，无法获得”复杂的医疗服务。 “因此，即使在偏远地区，也能够拥有技术、收集所有信息并为您提供解决方案 - 这就是做到这一点的方法。”

The micro-robotic pill is undergoing testing. It could come before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for consideration in the coming months. If approved, the PillBot could be available by 2026.微型机器人药丸正在接受测试。 它可能会在未来几个月内提交美国食品和药物管理局考虑。 如果获得批准，PillBot 可能会在 2026 年上市。

Kumbhari hopes the technology can be expanded to the bowels, vascular system, heart, liver, brain and other parts of the body.Kumbhari希望这项技术能够扩展到肠道、血管系统、心脏、肝脏、大脑和身体的其他部位。