MIT Robot Navigates Pig Small Intestine

A snake-inspired device called BIOSENTER delivered dyes and collected tissue biopsies in pig models without damaging the intestinal lining.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Robotics

Flexible segmented robotic tube with inflatable chambers and fanned kirigami sleeves coiled on a clean metal laboratory tray under window light. — MIT researchers unveiled BIOSENTER, a snake-inspired robot that navigated the small intestine of pig models and collected tissue biopsies without damaging the lining. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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MIT researchers designed BIOSENTER, a snake-inspired enteroscopic robot, to access the small intestine in pigs. The device delivered food dyes and collected tissue biopsies without tissue damage, according to a study described in Science Robotics.

Why it matters

The small intestine stretches more than 20 feet into the abdomen and is difficult to reach, while balloon enteroscopy is time-consuming and requires specially trained professionals. Conventional endoscopy cannot biopsy tissue or deliver drugs, leaving a gap that the device aims to address in Massachusetts and beyond.

BIOSENTER carries a camera, forcep-like biopsy structures, and spray ports for drug delivery, and can be deployed orally or rectally. Its kirigami sleeves anchor to the intestinal lining when inflatable chambers are filled with air.

The players

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

A private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where the BIOSENTER robot was designed.

The details

The robot uses a hollow tube with actuators containing inflatable chambers that move it in the direction set by the amount of air inserted. Inflating those chambers causes kirigami-patterned sleeves to pop out and anchor the robot to the intestinal lining.

Study on BIOSENTER in pig models was published on November 4, 2026.

The Tech Race

BIOSENTER builds on the balloon enteroscopy techniques that have long been the standard for reaching the small intestine, which demand substantial time and trained specialists. Its combination of biopsy and drug-delivery functions positions it as a step beyond conventional endoscopy, which cannot perform either task.

For patients, a device that can biopsy and deliver drugs inside the small intestine could eventually reduce reliance on time-consuming procedures. The extraction does not indicate when, or whether, such a tool will reach routine clinical use.

The takeaway

Robotic devices that navigate the intestine could expand what clinicians can diagnose and treat without invasive surgery. Readers tracking medical robotics should watch for human trials before expecting clinical availability.