An endoscopic capsule is a miniaturized ingestible video camera used to acquire images of the gastrointestinal tract wirelessly. Being morphologically equivalent to any ingestible pill, they can be simply swallowed. Endoscopic capsules therefore present an inviting alternative to the traditional endoscope for the examination of the gastrointestinal tract as well for therapeutic purposes. Endoscopic capsules are considered a disruptive technology, as they have revolutionized the examination of the gastrointestinal tract in a relatively short time. The implementation of an active locomotion system can improve the performance of a capsule and, in the solution proposed in this paper, allows providing the capsule the needed power for therapeutic purposes. Alternative therapeutic solutions, based on optical solutions and capsule endoscopy can be applied to patients affected by Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium of the stomach that affects about half of the world population, mainly in developing countries. The infection can be asymptomatic or associated with slight symptomatology. In some cases, it can take to major pathologies or death. The literature reports results deriving from recent applications of photodynamic treatments to H. pylori. Specific wavelengths have been found to exhibit photo-killing capabilities toward the bacterium. Some solutions have been proposed based on the use of endoscopic devices and capsules capable of administering photodynamic therapy inside the stomach. The proposed treatments, however, are invasive and insufficient to achieve long-term eradication. In this work, the administration of photodynamic therapy is proposed, aimed at the eradication of H. pylori by means of an active endoscopic capsule with LED emission. The capsule design, in addition to the therapeutic module aimed at administering an appropriate light intensity at specific wavelengths already demonstrated in the literature, integrates an active locomotion system aimed at maximizing the efficiency of the treatment. Full article

Patients who stay in bed for long periods are prone to pressure sores. Pressure sores cause multiple complications and prolong hospitalization. To prevent pressure sores, the patient’s lying position must be changed continuously so that excessive pressure on any body part does not last long. In this paper, we propose a novel robotic bed to prevent the formation of pressure sores. This robotic bed is composed of multiple segments that are driven independently by brushless direct current motors and that use body pressure information for feedback control. By controlling the movement of the segments on the top of the bed with a fuzzy controller, the patient’s body pressure is kept below the reference value. Moreover, a belt-type body pressure sensor is developed herein by using force-sensing resistor technology to measure the patient’s body pressure. A bed control system composed of the main controller, a teach pendant, motor controllers, and sensors was implemented. Through real experiments, the validity of the proposed robot bed was verified, and it was confirmed that the fuzzy closed-loop controller followed the reference body pressure commands well. Full article

In the last few years, many examples of blood and medicine delivery drones have been demonstrated worldwide, which mainly rely on aeronautical experience that is not common in the medical world. Speaking about drone delivery, attention should focus on the most important thing: the transported lifesaving good. Traditional boxes that monitor temperature are not usually in real time, and are not suitable for drone transportation because they are heavy and bulky. This means that the biomedical characteristics of delivery are of primary importance. A Smart Capsule, equipped with artificial intelligence (AI), is the first system ever proposed to provide a fully autonomous drone delivery service for perishable and high-value medical products, integrating real-time quality monitoring and control. It consists in a smart casing that is able to guide any autonomous aerial vehicle attached to it, specifically designed for transporting blood, organs, tissues, test samples and drugs, among others. The system monitors the conditions of the product (e.g., temperature, agitation and humidity) and adjusts them when needed by exploiting, for instance, vibrations to maintain the required agitation, ensuring that goods are ready to be used as soon as they are delivered. The Smart Capsule also leverages external temperature to reduce energy uptake from the drone, thus improving the drone’s battery life and flight range. The system replaces the need for specialized drivers and traditional road-bound transportation means, while guaranteeing compliance with all applicable safety regulations. A series of 16 experimental tests was performed to demonstrate the possibility of using the smart capsule to manage the flight and internal good delivery. Eighty-one missions were carried out for a total of 364 min of flight. The Smart Capsule greatly improves emergency response and efficiency of healthcare systems by reducing delivery times by up to 80% and costs by at least 28%. The Smart Capsule and its enabling technology based on AI for drone deliveries are discussed in this paper. The aim of this work is to show the possibility of managing drone delivery with an AI-based device. Full article