Bioinspired Kirigami Capsule Robot for Minimally Invasive Gastrointestinal Biopsy
Ruizhou Zhao, Yichen Chu, Shuwei Zhao, Wenchao Yue, Raymond Shing-Yan Tang, and Hongliang Ren

TL;DR
This paper introduces the Kiri-Capsule, a bioinspired, swallowable robot that can perform minimally invasive tissue biopsies in the gastrointestinal tract, addressing a key limitation of current capsule endoscopy.
Contribution
The Kiri-Capsule is the first kirigami-inspired capsule robot capable of controlled tissue penetration and biopsy, combining deployable sharp flaps with safe, repeatable operation.
Findings
Bench tests confirmed stable deployment angles of PI films.
Ex vivo studies showed effective tissue sampling comparable to standard forceps.
Biopsy forces were within safe ranges for GI tissue.
Abstract
Wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE) has transformed gastrointestinal (GI) diagnostics by enabling noninvasive visualization of the digestive tract, yet its diagnostic yield remains constrained by the absence of biopsy capability, as histological analysis is still the gold standard for confirming disease. Conventional biopsy using forceps, needles, or rotating blades is invasive, limited in reach, and carries risks of perforation or mucosal trauma, while fluid- or microbiota-sampling capsules cannot provide structured tissue for pathology, leaving a critical gap in swallowable biopsy solutions. Here we present the Kiri-Capsule, a kirigami-inspired capsule robot that integrates deployable PI-film flaps actuated by a compact dual-cam mechanism to achieve minimally invasive and repeatable tissue collection. The kirigami surface remains flat during locomotion but transforms into sharp…
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Taxonomy
TopicsSoft Robotics and Applications · Gastrointestinal Bleeding Diagnosis and Treatment · Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence
