Abstract
Recently, the need of colonoscopy is increasing because of the rise of colonic disorder including cancer of the colon. In this research, We aim at development at the device that changes the stiffness by air pressure and applying to the large intestine endoscope that is possible to let into colon safety without technique of doctors. This device consists of silicone rubber reinforced fiber and is able to change the stiffness by air pressure. The effectiveness of this device is analyzed by nonlinear finite element method and is confirmed by experiments. In addition, We developed the prototype of the large intestine endoscope changing its stiffness by linking stiffness changing devices and confirmed this effectiveness by fundamental insertion experiments for horseshoe shape route.
