What is the difference between a conventional capsule endoscope and Sayaka?

The current endoscopic capsules on the market all have the lens installed at either end of the capsule. There are a number of weak points with this current design. Since the capsule can only capture images within its field of view, full gastrointestinal viewing is near impossible. The following example helps to explain,

• Imagine being in a long dark tunnel with only small flashlight shining in front of you. It is easy to imagine that one can clearly see what is in front of their field of vision, but it is extremely difficult to see the actual sides of the tunnel. Logically, your attention should be focused on the walls where defects would be, but in actuality is limited to only what is in front of you. This is the similar situation for the currently designed endoscopic capsules in a gastrointestinal tract.
• Most current endoscopic capsules in use today, adopt a wide-angle lens oriented to and focused on the lateral surface where doctors are most concerned. But, a wide-angle lens has an intrinsic fault of distortion within that peripheral view. Consequently, this image must be corrected with the aid of software, but the final results are limited due to distortion while capturing.

The newly announced Sayaka has a lens on the lateral surface of the capsule instead of the front. This new design obtains clear-cut lateral images of the gastrointestinal wall while the inner capsule spins in the digestive tract. Therefore, the advantage of this lateral macro photography are clear-cut and high resolution images despite a low light environment. These images are recorded in 2 MB/mm2 pixel resolution which allows up to around 75-fold enhancement on a 17-inch monitor.

What is Sayaka's rotation mechanism?

Sayaka is characterized by a double-structured cupsule made up of an outer and an inner capsule. Whereas the outer capsule traverses through the gastrointestinal tract, the inner capsule alone spins. This spinning is derived by Sayaka's small permanent magnet and an electromagnet which causes "stepping rotation".

What is stepping rotation?

Some motors only run when receiving pulsed signals resulting in a constant starting and stopping of the motor which causes the "stepping rotation". The rotation angle, also referred to as stepping angle, is proportional to the given pulsed signals. Sayaka is designed to have a stepping angle of 7.5 degrees. This stepping rotation is necessary in order to prevent fluctuation or blurring in the images. In Sayaka's promotion video, images are provided in synchronization with strobe light flashes.

What is the number of frames per second and how many images does Sayaka capture?

Over an 8-hour period procedure, Sayaka will generate approximately 870,000 images of the whole digestive tract at a rate of 30 frames per second.

What is mosaicing technology?

This is a process by which the final image which the doctor sees on the computer display is made by combining multiple images taken from various angles. This technology is well established and information can be found on numerous Websites. Mosaicing technology was developed for use with NORIKA 3 and has subsequently been improved for use with Sayaka.

Can we scroll through stored data to view animated images with motion pictures of any concerned area?

YES. An integrated image is made up of 30 freeze-frame pictures, each of which is stored with an assigned address. Each single address can be viewed as an animated set.

Is it possible to conduct an endoscopy inside the stomach using Sayaka?

NO. Sayaka's current technology is developed for the sole purpose of conducting a complete endoscopy within the small and large intestines.

Have you already made any information available or announcements to the public in regards to Sayaka?

Jiro Maruyama, the president and CEO of RF System lab., presented an paper academic lecture entitled "The Future of the Capsule Endoscope" to the Japanese Society of Applied Physics on 10th December 2005, at Shinsyu University, Faculty of Engineering.