Micro tattooing mechanism for the capsule endoscope

摘要

With advent of the capsule endoscope, tattooing to mark the position of the intestinal polyps becomes critical technique for successful removal of polyps. Therefore, we develop a micro tattooing mechanism activated by multiple conical springs which can be installed in a capsule endoscope. In order to insert the needle and inject ink, a conical spring is released by cutting a post with Ni-Cr wire. Then, the needle is withdrawn by another conical spring activated by SMA wire. As a result, we could inject and withdraw the needle with electrical power consumption of 36.52 mWh.