Improving Telemedicine: Pillbot

Technology has always been deeply intertwined with healthcare as a means of faster and more efficient diagnosis and treatment, prompting the field of biomedical engineering to emerge and thrive. Technology has made things that weren’t possible by hand before, or very arduous to perform by hand, into procedures evident in every hospital today, like MRIs, anesthetics, robotic surgeries, and mobile health services. From when they were first constructed, once bulky and costly designs have been minimized into smaller, less costly designs to boost patient care and operational efficiency. But the development of technology doesn’t just stop at that - it keeps evolving to match our needs. 

In comes Pillbot, a swallowable robotic capsule to quicken diagnosis and make diagnosis less invasive. 

Pillbot Image | Oitzman, 2024

What is Pillbot?

Pillbot is a miniature robot that aims to diagnose gastrointestinal issues. You take it like a pill, except it is armed with small cameras, sensors, and wireless technology that links directly to a screen for doctors to examine the gastrointestinal tract. It also has 4 micro pump jets that allow the pill to propulse itself if the physician controlling it desires. 

Currently, to examine the gastrointestinal tract, invasive endoscopy scopes would be inserted. As part of annual health exams, your parents or yourself may have experienced this procedure. A long flexible tube with a small light and video camera is put into the mouth and throat, slowly being pushed through the esophagus, stomach, and into the duodenum(first segment of the small intestine) (Upper GI Endoscopy, 2021). Checking the gastrointestinal tract is crucial for catching all sorts of issues, such as bleeding, inflammation, tumors, infection, damage, infections, and various diseases. However, there are risks that can come with an endoscopy – it certainly doesn’t seem pleasant to have a 1-6 foot tube forced down your throat. You can imagine the discomfort it may cause also within the body, with chances of tearing the internal lining, infection, and bleeding (Upper GI Endoscopy, 2021). The procedure, while necessary, is invasive. 

Pillbot changes that. The robot is the size of a vitamin pill, which is swallowed with water after skipping a meal (Oitzman, 2024). The physician can maneuver the capsule with a controller to see the whole stomach, and at the end of the robot’s journey, it’s simply removed by excretion. 

Upper Endoscopy vs. Pillbot

Pillbot improves the current endoscope technology because it’s non-invasive – it can even be swallowed at home and doesn’t need anaesthetic or hospital visits, making the healthcare more accessible to remote locations and easily available. It’s also an easier method to use too because the physician simply maneuvers the robot with a controller (Ferrao, 2024). 

Because of its simple use, Pillbot is expected to identify disorders like stomach cancers that traditional upper endoscopies may not catch (Oitzman, 2024). In some cases, upper endoscopies may not even be employed due to the cost and lack of availability as the procedure requires staff and equipment (Malayil, 2024). Additionally, there is also a growing cause of concern for overuse of GI endoscopy due to the fact that 56% of diagnostic upper GI endoscopy procedures are inappropriate, causing unnecessary costs and risk of complications (De Jong et al., 2019). With PillBot, the procedure isn’t as arduous and strict, so these concerns aren’t present. Additionally, endoscopes cost more than $10,000 per procedure due to expensive equipment, while the Pillbot would cost $500 per pill, allowing it to be used and manufactured more (Mitchell, 2021). In fact, Endiatx, the company who developed Pillbot, hopes to make Pillbot over-the-counter at pharmacies for around $50 one day (Ferrao, 2024). They’ve raised around $7 million since their founding in 2019 for Pillbot, and now are looking to secure FDA approval and launch the product in the US by early 2026 (Oitzman, 2024). 

Challenges

Of course, every product comes with its challenges and potential risks. In the case of Pillbot, while it does improve the concerns of upper endoscopies, it can also lead to risks of its own. 

Pillbot operates with a nuclear powered battery, which raises concerns regarding radiation exposure. Torrey Smith, Endiatx CEO, does acknowledge this concern but provides an explanation for how Pillbot can combat this. He states that the radiation can be trapped and turned into a small amount of heat that is no more dangerous than everyday environmental exposure, and that current procedures using radiation are common (Buntz, 2024). 

Another concern is the limited amount of data available on Pillbot. Pillbot 1.0 is currently going through clinical trials, so as of yet, there is not much known on how Pillbot can affect humans, nor how much the radiation could actually affect humans until clinical trials finish and the product is FDA approved. 

But with how it has been progressing, Pillbot is destined to be a great solution and product – something people should definitely keep their eyes open for. 

Written By: Shreeya Lalam

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Works Cited

Buntz, B. (2024, December 11). As PillBot clinical trials continue, Endiatx CEO plots what’s next. Research & Development World. https://www.rdworldonline.com/endiatx-aims-to-boldly-go-beyond-traditional-endoscopy-and-eventually-redefine-surgical-scale/#:~:text=Understandably%2C%20the%20idea%20of%20implanting,dangerous%20than%20everyday%20environmental%20exposures.

Ferrao, L. (2024, June 22). ENDIaTX’s robotic pill: The Future of gastroenterology! https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/endiatxs-robotic-pill-future-gastroenterology-prof-leroy-ferrao-fusvf/

Oitzman, M. (2024, August 3). PillBot lets doctors see inside the human body - The Robot Report. The Robot Report. https://www.therobotreport.com/pillbot-lets-doctors-see-inside-the-human-body/

Malayil, J. (2024, June 23). Pillbot: Swallowable tiny robot with thrusters performs endoscopy at home. Interesting Engineering. https://interestingengineering.com/innovation/pillbot-swallowable-robot-thrusters-endoscopy?group=test_b

Upper GI endoscopy. (2021, December 6). Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/upper-gi-endoscopy

De Jong, J. J., Lantinga, M. A., & Drenth, J. P. (2019). Prevention of overuse: A view on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 25(2), 178–189. https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v25.i2.178

Mitchell, R. (2021, April 6). Endiatx PillBot Could Replace Traditional Endoscopies. electropages. https://www.electropages.com/blog/2021/04/endiatx-pillbot-could-replace-traditional-endoscopies