'Spider pill' bowel scanner will be ready within a year
![](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/h7vr6sXR6r1OcrTNAw4yyw--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUzNQ--/https://s.yimg.com/uu/api/res/1.2/5JBUXD2pHDUAQuif04qXQQ--~B/aD0yODQ7dz01MTA7YXBwaWQ9eXRhY2h5b24-/https://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2009/10/12oct09_spiderpill.jpg)
Endoscopy, or the examination of a person's bowels via a tube-mounted camera, is not exactly the most pleasant medical procedure one could undergo. In 2004, we noted the early stages of a project to alleviate the (literal) pain of the procedure with a spider pill, which -- once swallowed by the hopefully willing patient -- can be remotely controlled and positioned inside the human body. Yes, it's a tiny, wirelessly communicating robot with a camera for a head crawling inside you. Hit the read link for the full BBC report, it really is worth seeing, and start your Innerspace jokes ... now!