PillBot lets doctors see inside the human body

By Mike Oitzman | August 3, 2024

Endiatx is shaping the future of medicine with groundbreaking micro-robotics inside the human body. The company’s flagship product, PillBot, is designed to wirelessly navigate the human stomach, lowering costs and increasing access to diagnosis and treatments.

The PillBot aims to change endoscopy for millions of patients, who require annual exams that currently employ invasive endoscopy scopes for doctors to view the inside of the intestinal tract. The device is designed to be remotely controlled and easy to swallow (easier, that is, than the insertion of the endoscope).

See it live

You can see Endiatx CEO Torrey Smith demo PillBot live during the closing keynote of RoboBusiness 2024.

The PillBot transmits live video as it motors throughout the water-filled stomach. After skipping a meal, a patient drinks water and swallows PillBot. The physician operator – who can be remote, with the patient at home – then maneuvers the capsule via a controller and internet connection to scan the whole stomach. The device has power for about 30 minutes of live video and is designed to be disposable, the patient simply passes the robot at the end of its mission. According to CEO Torrey Smith, the bill of materials for the device only costs $35.

PillBot will complete its clinical trials later in 2024, and Endiatx expects the device to gain FDA clearance in 2025. The company expects to launch commercially in the US in early 2026 and then expand internationally – especially to developing nations that lack access to medical facilities.

PillBot will save many patients anesthesia and a hospital visit while saving insurance costs, as four out of five upper endoscopies are negative. PillBot is designed to be less invasive and the procedure can be completed in a shorter period. Diagnostic procedures performed by PillBot and its AI-powered successors will identify diseases such as stomach cancer – which claims some 800,000 lives globally each year – early enough to intervene and save lives.

Endiatx currently has a team of 20 people and has raised $7 million since its 2019 founding.