back to article German docs develop remote-control stomach submarine

Boffins in Germany were chuffed indeed yesterday, as they announced successful trials of the latest medi-tech development: swallowable, remote controlled video-cam "capsule" submarines, able to probe a patient's guts without the need for an intrusive umbilical cable running down the throat or up the bottom. Thus far, docs …

COMMENTS

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  1. stucs201
    Pint

    The stomach is a really bad place for a submarine

    Don't they remember the bad guy getting digested in Inner Space?

    Beer? Far more suitable stomach contents.

  2. Tom 38
    Thumb Up

    This has been done before, surely

    Dennis Quaid and his submarine get shrunk and injected into Martin Short's ass. Been there, done it.

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Thumb Up

    Contender for quote of the year?

    "The magno-directed wireless stomach submarine was apparently assembled by taking a standard colon-intruder unit and adding magnetic discs to create a dirigible tum-prowler capsule."

    genius

  4. Mike 140

    sounds Fantastic

    Does it contain a miniaturised Raquel Welch?

  5. Tigra 07
    Pint

    Title in hiding

    Seems like they got the idea for this from that film where the guy shrinks a ship and travels through someone elses body in it.

    That or the giant squid program on the Discovery Channel, in which case i hope it fires torpedoes or harpoons.

  6. PhilipN Silver badge

    Urrrmmm .....

    Sherbet?

    I'm just dying to know why

    1. annodomini2
      Coat

      Pah... Title we don't need no stinking title

      Perhaps it was orange?

  7. Fluffykins Silver badge

    Trialling a stomach camera?

    Now, THAT takes some guts.

  8. lee harvey osmond

    A German submarine for patrolling intestines?

    Tsk. I wonder what Dönitz would have thought?

  9. Paul_Murphy

    Was...

    Mentioning that the capsule was unmanned really necessary?

    Maybe you were just trying to stop people making comparisons with Inner Space or Fantastic Voyage - good luck.

    ttfn

  10. zebedee 1
    FAIL

    Nothing New - NHS already has this

    On a serious note, I have a nephew with a serious abdominal complaint who was diagnosed by swallowing a similar camera in a NHS hospital a few months ago.

    Maybe if the NHS put out more press releases on stuff like this, the journos at El Reg might get round to picking them up

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      In the NHS...

      .... They probably force feed you a spotty yoof in a wet suit with an old VHS camcorder.

  11. Lexxy
    Alert

    Das Boot?

    ALLAAAAAARRMMMMMMM!

  12. Trevor 3
    Coat

    German sub in your intestines...

    Would that be a....poo-boat then?

  13. TeeCee Gold badge
    Joke

    Using sherbet to inflate stomachs.

    I suspect that a certain amount of subsequent fun was had by the 10 volunteers, probably over a few beers, with a target and the supplied projectile / propellant combination.

    Arse submarine darts. It could be the next Olympic sport.

    1. Fluffykins Silver badge
      Coffee/keyboard

      Very good Sir

      Or madman

  14. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    As someone

    Who has had 'probes' at both ends (purely for medical reasons), I welcome our stomach acid proof guided submarine-lords.

    And the reasons for sherbert is that it produces CO2 when mixed with water, this inflates the stomach so the sub can be moved around. Similar to a colonoscopy, where air is injected down the tube so the docs can have a bloody good look around. This is damn uncomfortable, but does produce very impressive farts on the way home.

    1. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

      It's not the farts you should worry about..

      .. it's the need to follow through to see the return of the submarine..

  15. samwisethecat

    Well it's kind of obvious where it comes out but

    But single use going to be kind of expensive and not on the green wagon.

    So which poor smuck do they give the job of sorting it out from the rest of the cr@p (literally) Will they have special toilets like at customs that allow them to sort and look for swallowed drugs after the laxative?

    1. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

      Already solved..

      The added propulsion from the sherbet after effects (think global warming and "do not expel near open flames" warning signs) should give enough power to shoot it straight through some fluid submerged brushes.

      Alternatively, this strikes me (pardon the pun) as one of the better community service projects - almost guaranteed to prevent re-offending (of the convict, not of Das Uboot).

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Dead Vulture

    Who exactly is worried about "low patient compliance"?

    >'Naturally enough this tactic causes a certain amount of disquiet among patients (as the researchers put it, "some view endoscopy as uncomfortable, and worry about low patient compliance").'

    Misinterpreted quote? I would expect something called "low patient compliance" to be a sign of disquiet among the administering doctors, not their patients.

    1. DarkwingDuck

      I would guess

      that it would be doctors. It goes like this:

      >'Naturally enough this tactic causes a certain amount of disquiet among patients (as the researchers put it, "some [doctors] view endoscopy as uncomfortable [based on patient feedback], and [these doctors] worry about low patient compliance").'

      At least, that's my reading of it...

  17. JohnG

    U-boat numbering

    U2 ?

  18. Trevor 3

    Disappointed

    No-one has made any jokes about depth-charges or torpedoes yet

  19. John Smith 19 Gold badge
    Coat

    Quite ingenious

    But not exactly the first U boat built in Hamburg.

  20. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

    I can picture the scene already..

    ".. pleaz be quiet, zis is not goink to hurt"

    Just hope it doesn't up its periscope en route.

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    Finally!

    I've been saying for years I'll get my colonoscopy when the technology improves. I think it just has. Now, 12 more years or so for FDA approval and I'm in like Flynn.

    With, or without the miniature Raquel Welch in the wet-suit I've been dreaming of since I was a lad.

  22. Alexander Vollmer
    Big Brother

    TSA's dream

    When do they start using these at airports?

    1. hplasm
      Alert

      Never-

      They would much rather stick a full size submarine periscope up yer torpedo tube.

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    F*ing magnets

    How do they work?

    1. Sarah Bee (Written by Reg staff)

      Re: F*ing magnets

      Heh.

  24. Bod

    Who needs submarines

    Doctor Who did it just with people and a dodgy prawn costume.

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