A wireless power supply system for robotic capsular endoscopes

In expanding capsular endoscopy from a mere passive screening tool to a multipurpose robot, batteries become inadequate. Wireless power supply overcomes the problem of power shortage and enables the integration of high-power modules. This work focuses on wireless inductive power transfer and its technology optimization in size, materials and efficiency. A user friendly and stable external unit has been developed that supports power and data transmission through the downlink (from the external world to the capsule). The possibility of using a Helmholtz coil at the primary side has been investigated and a preliminary set-up has been implemented. The ongoing development on 3D coil geometries is further refined by the introduction of a laser machined ferrite core to boost the amount of available power. It is demonstrated that 330 mW can be transferred to a capsule under all possible orientations, within a 0.48 cm(3) volume. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.