# Robotics in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
###### Abstract  
Recent advances in endoscopic technology allow clinicians to not only detect digestive diseases early, but also provide appropriate treatment. The development of various therapeutic endoscopic technologies has changed the paradigm in the treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, contributing greatly to improving the quality of life of patients. The application of robotics for gastrointestinal endoscopy improves the maneuverability and therapeutic ability of gastrointestinal endoscopists, but there are still technical limitations. With the development of minimally invasive endoscopic treatment, clinicians need more sophisticated and precise endoscopic instruments. Novel robotic systems are being developed for application in various clinical fields, to ultimately develop into minimally invasive robotic surgery to lower the risk to patients. Robots for endoscopic submucosal dissection, autonomous locomotive robotic colonoscopes, and robotic capsule endoscopes are currently being developed. In this review, the most recently developed innovative endoscopic robots were evaluated according to their operating mechanisms and purpose of use. Robotic endoscopy is an innovative treatment platform for future digestive endoscopy.  
robotic endoscopy; robotic endoscopy platforms; endoscopic submucosal dissection; colonoscopy +
Footnote †: journal: Medical  
ous robotic endoscopy platforms are being developed to overcome the technical limitations of conventional endoscopes.  
Robotic devices are also being developed to assist in safe and effective colonoscopies. Colonoscopy can potentially be more technically demanding than gastroscopy, as the colon is a long, tortuous, thin-walled organ that has multiple haustrations. Patient complications, patient sedation, and difficult location in the colon can make therapeutic procedures in colon very difficult. Robotic assisted colonoscopy aims to improve the patient's tolerance, facilitate fecal intubation regardless of the endoscopist's ability, and perform therapy safely.  
Various robotic endoscopic devices have been described in the literature over the past decade. Some of them were tested in preclinical and clinical settings, and some projects appeared to have been discontinued. In this review, we introduce three major categories of robotic endoscopy. The first category is robot-assisted therapeutic devices that assist advanced endoscopic procedures, such as ESD. This category includes robotic endoscopic multitasking platforms and robotic add-on devices. The second category is the robot-assisted colonoscopy system. A robotic-driven colonoscope that automatically navigates in the colon and an auxiliary device that assists the conventional colonoscope are in this category. The last category is a robotic capsule endoscopy.  
A literature review was performed on PubMed and Web of Science databases by search criteria \"robotic ESD\" OR \"robot\" AND \"endoscopy\" OR \"endoscopy robots\" OR \"robotic platform\" AND \"endoscopy\" OR \"robot\" AND \"colonoscopy\" OR \"flexible endoscopic multitasking platforms\" OR \"robot\" AND \"capsule endoscopy\" and specific names of various robotic endoscopic multitasking platforms and robotic colonoscopy systems from 1 January 2010 to 31 December 2020. Relevant articles pertaining to robotic flexible gastrointestinal endoscopy are identified from title and abstract. In addition, important references were identified through individual article references. The content presented in related journals published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in the same period was also reviewed. The innovative and clinically tested products over the past 5 years in the IEEE database were reviewed and are detailed in the review below.