World's first home-use intelligent capsule endoscopy system approved for clinical use

China

World's first home-use intelligent capsule endoscopy system approved for clinical use

2024-07-15 22:15 Last Updated At：23:47

The world's first intelligent capsule endoscopy system, which is suitable for home use and developed by a Chinese research team, has been recently approved for clinical use in Guangzhou City, south China's Guangdong Province.

Developed by a research team led by Liu Side, director of gastroenterology at Guangzhou's Nanfang Hospital, the system, which causes far less discomfort than traditional endoscopy examination, has been approved by relevant authorities of Guangzhou for hospitals in the city to use in clinical examination.

The system is operated by a designated application on mobile phone. After swallowing the capsule endoscopy device, the patient needs to change body positions according to instructions on the application, so that the device can take images of the stomach while moving inside. Images will be uploaded to an intelligent system for further analysis. The entire examination process can be completed in 20 minutes.

"The goal of our research is to solve a pain point. Traditional gastroscopy is quite painful but very important, so we hoped to develop a convenient and comfortable endoscopy device that is suitable for home use," said Liu.

The system has already been approved for clinical use. Patients need to complete the examination process in hospitals as it is still classified as a medical equipment. It is expected to be approved for independent operation by patients themselves after more cases of clinical application.

Liu's team is still conducting further research on the system, hoping to develop an advanced device that is able to complete the early screening of cancers on different organs of the digestive system.

"In the future, the capsule endoscopy system for the upper gastrointestinal will be able to take clear image of the esophagus. That will be the second one. Then we will develop a system for the colon and the rectum that are parts of the large intestine as colorectal cancer is also very harmful. In addition, the prevention and control of this cancer depends on early detection by endoscopy. Finding polyps and removing them will help prevent from getting colorectal cancer," said Liu.

Int'l media representatives dig through China's tech sector in Zhejiang

Global journalists gained a firsthand look at the groundbreaking technological innovations that are reshaping China's tech future, as they embarked on a media tour in east China's Zhejiang Province.

Nearly 70 media representatives from countries including the United States, Singapore, and Brazil joined the tour, visiting the headquarters of several ambitious tech companies in the province.

At a company called BrainCo, the visitors witnessed a brain-computer interface enabling a disabled staff member to control prosthetic fingers with ease, and even practice calligraphy.

"I control it just like my own hand. Every finger moves. It’s intuitive. No delay," said the staff member.

The demonstration left a deep impression on the international journalists.

"I think this area, and specifically the the brain area, is one of the most exciting fields China is working on right now. There's all these expectations that China will deliver a lot of answers to many people around the world," said Nelson Pancini De Sa, a reporter for Universo Online, a Brazilian web content, products, and services company.

The media tour highlighted Zhejiang's strategy for integrating technological and industrial innovation. Unitree Robotics, based in Hangzhou, produces 60 to 70 percent of the world's quadruped robot shipments.

"Unitree has unveiled the H2 Plus, a next-generation humanoid robot reference design. It launches in the second half of this year, giving humanoid robots a more powerful 'smart brain,'" said Huang Jiawei, marketing director of Unitree Robotics.

Journalists also observed how China's humanoid robot makers are shifting their focus from showmanship to real-world applications. Some companies emphasized their potential in elderly care.

"I thought that it's quite interesting that they are looking at these humanoid robots and training them to specifically address the needs of older people who are living alone, which I thought is an interesting space to look out for," said Ananth Krishnan, a reporter with The Hindu, an Indian news agency.