Physically intelligent capsule robots with embodied memory and logic in the gastrointestinal tract

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Robotics
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Minimally invasive gastrointestinal (GI) diagnostics and therapeutics are advancing.
• Current ingestible robotic systems face challenges in sensing, decision-making, and actuation integration due to size and power constraints.
• Personalized medicine strategies require precise physiological monitoring and in-situ interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce physically intelligent capsule robots (PI Capbots) for autonomous homeostatic monitoring and targeted delivery in the GI tract.
• To demonstrate a novel approach using embodied stimuli-responsive materials for robotic control, bypassing centralized electronic systems.
• To enable event-triggered therapeutic interventions based on physiological data.

Main Methods:

• Development of PI Capbots integrating multistable metamaterials for pressure encoding, programmable hydrogels for sensing and logic, and helical fibers for locomotion.
• Utilizing embodied stimuli-responsive memory and logic for decentralized decision-making.
• Conducting ex vivo and in vivo studies in large animal models to validate performance.

Main Results:

• PI Capbots successfully performed homeostatic monitoring and targeted delivery without electronic control.
• Embodied materials effectively processed complex physiological data into actionable outputs.
• Demonstrated efficacy, robustness, and reproducibility in large animal models.

Conclusions:

• PI Capbots represent a significant advancement in ingestible robotic systems for GI applications.
• The physically intelligent design offers a promising platform for autonomous, minimally invasive medical monitoring and therapy.
• Highlights potential for translational medical applications in gastroenterology.