Engineers from the University of Leeds in England developed the Sonopill, a robotic capsule device that works similar to capsule endoscopy, The New Daily reports.
What you should know:
1. The pill currently has a diameter of 21 millimeters and a length of 39 millimeters, but engineers are working to scale it down.
2. The capsule features an ultrasound transducer, an LED light, a camera and a magnet.
3. So far engineers have tested the capsule in animal studies involving pigs.
4. Engineers use magnetic forces to maneuver the capsule through the colon, while an artificial intelligence system ensures the capsule is correctly positioned against the gut wall to get the bes- quality images. The AI system can also readjust the capsule if it gets dislodged.
5. The engineers believe the capsule could be available for patient use in the near future.