posted on 2011-07-01, 15:58authored byKhalil Arshak, Francis Adepoju
In this paper, we discuss system and method of determining the real-time location of an omni-directional diagnostic radio frequency (RF) system while the object is moving freely inside an inaccessible organ. A target application to the human gastrointestinal (GI) organ is presented, showing the importance of the method in accessing a specific site for drug administration or for extracting fluid or tissue samples for biopsy and similar medical investigations. Unlike other commercially available solutions that are fraught with invasive procedures our method interfaces with wireless technology to provide non-invasive real-time acquisition of intestinal physiology data and also relay information about the object's whereabouts at all times during the entire period of diagnosis. The system consists of a miniature RF transceiver embedded in the GI tract and a set of receivers positioned external to the body. RF signal is transmitted at 433MHz to achieve half duplex communication between the transmitter and receiver. The frequency shift keying (FSK) modulation scheme was adopted to ensure a reliable and high-speed digital RF link. Undoubtedly, the novelty of the method will foster a strategic marketing advantage by virtue of the solution's ambulant nature targeted at patients suffering from intestinal disorders or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).