Robotics in gastrointestinal endoscopy

The application of robotics in gastrointestinal endoscopy is a much anticipated technological advancement that is attracting an enormous amount of interest from innovators and end-users alike. Emerging robotics-enhanced endoscopy platforms for performance of various endoscopic interventional procedures are already in development and some are expected to be in the pipeline for commercialization in another few years’ time. In particular, the Master And Slave Transluminal Endoscopic Robot (MASTER) developed by a collaboration between the National University of Singapore and the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore is already in human trials for an endoluminal procedure, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). The results on trials performed on five patients with early gastric neoplasia have demonstrated the feasibility and safety of using the system for such procedure, while also shortening the procedure time. This article will highlight the advantages of robotics innovations in gastrointestinal endoscopy, with the MASTER as an example, and explore some of the many possibilities for future applications of robotics-enhanced endoscopy.