Mechanical clamping mechanisms for locomotion in the gastrointestinal tract

A locomotive device for the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract would use the walls of the GI tract as a means of support its propulsion. The tissue of the GI tract is soft, slippery and does not retain a fixed shape. Having such a difficult environment to move in, it is necessary for a locomotive device for the GI tract to have mechanisms that will enable it to clamp, without slippage or damage to the tissue, onto the intestinal walls. By integrating secure grasping mechanisms and extensor mechanisms, an effective inchworm propulsion system can be implemented. In this paper, the authors present an analysis of different clamping mechanisms recently developed by exploiting precision engineering and microfabrication technologies.