The problem with previous cameras-in-a-pill is that once you swallowed it, the doctors couldn't control its movement during endoscopy procedures. Researchers at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna in Pisa, Italy have built a one-half inch long teleoperated pill outfitted with pincer-like clamps. (They outline the invention in the current issue of Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering. Link)
From New Scientist:
These (clamps) help prevent the device slipping on mucus in the intestine as it moves along, but are too small to damage the soft tissues, says Menciassi. The capsule can park at any site of interest by releasing a clamp with two 5-millimetre-long jaws, each with teeth. These grab onto the gut wall tightly enough to resist the muscular pulsations trying to push the device along.
Link to New Scientist article, Link to previous post about a swallowable robot from Carnegie Mellon
