Origami based design of ingestible medical instrumentation

The goal of this PhD project is to design a novel ingestible medical device for long-term residence in the small bowel. Long-term retention of medical devices in the gastrointestinal tract enables a plethora of benefits, including possibilities for extended drug delivery, or monitoring capabilities. Inspired by origami, the device will be able to unfold or expand out from inside a capsule, to the size of the small bowel. It can then press against the intestinal walls, enabling it resist the propulsive forces exerted by the gastrointestinal tract and remain in vivo for extended periods.