Noninvasive measurement and analysis of the gastrointestinal (GI) intraluminal pressure could not only be used for diagnosing and monitoring of diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and intestinal paralysis but also provide a novel way to detect the position of swallowable microrobotic capsules (MRC) through the characterization of localized pressure patterns and gradients.
Conventional GI tract pressure measurements from pressure catheters use tethers into the GI tract, which is uncomfortable for the patient and unable to reach most of the small intestine [1–3]. GI pressure measurement based on balloons, abdominal acoustic emissions, and electro potential recording is not accurate [2]. Early radio telemetry capsules failed to become a viable alternative to invasive techniques, because of difficulty determining the capsule's location and inability to distinguish between ambient pressure and contact pressure induced by peristalsis, which is a critical index of intestine motility [4]. Development of...