Visual Control

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VISUAL CONTROL (Automation in Colonosopy)

Besides locomotion and steerable distal end, visual control is another aspect of automation of colonoscopy. Researchers believe that a computer can be used to interpret visual images captured by the ultra-compact CCD camera during colonoscopy. This information can then be used to automatically manoeuvre the colonoscope into the colon or even identify abnormalities of the large intestine.

During a conventional colonoscopy examination, the endoscopist will have his eyes on a video monitor which displays the real-time images being captured by the CCD camera at the distal end of the colonoscope. The following are two photographs showing some of these images. The darker portion in the central area is the lumen.

Images Captured During Conventional Colonoscopy

As the endoscopist pushes the colonoscope into the colon, he will be constantly turning the angulation knobs to steer the distal end so that it faces the lumen. It is only when the distal end is pointing towards the lumen can the colonoscope be further traversed forward. Some researchers believe that computers can be used to interpret these images and be trained to recognise and correctly locate the position of the lumen. This information will then be processed to be used to control and manoeuvre a colonoscope automatically into the colon.