Next time you visit the doctor, instead of more traditional methods for diagnosing the problem you could find yourself swallowing a pill-sized camera robot with tiny "legs".
While doctors have been using camera pills to transmit images of intestines for several years, they hadn't previously been able to control its movements.
Now medical researchers have developed a capsule robot that, once swallowed, could potentially anchor inside the body without tearing any soft tissue, and be controlled wirelessly. It's the first step in achieving more advanced applications. By developing a strong adhesive that can attach and reattach many times, the researchers hope to eventually build a robot capable of crawling inside the human body without causing harm.
Cloned eyeball lamps
In other body-related news from this week, the good people at Paris-based 5.5 designers are offering a service that lets you send in images of your eyes, which they'll then convert into lamps. Who wouldn't want a giant, glowing pair of their very own eyeballs to liven up their home?
Airport violence
Frustrated Chinese air passengers smashed computers and desks on Tuesday following a night in which they were stranded at an airport without accommodation. Over 170 passengers clashed with police, Reuters reported, when they were unable to leave Kunming due to bad weather.
Segway power
Meanwhile, a not-so-high-speed police chase resulted in a woman being arrested for drink-driving, also on Tuesday – by a policeman riding a Segway (see image 2 above). The battery-powered upright transporter reached speeds of up to 12mph during the pursuit in Jackson, America, after a woman was spotted driving erratically down the road.
The officer finally caught up with her when she stopped at traffic lights but, due to spatial limitations, had to wait for a patrol car to take her to the station.
Police told reporters that this was their first Segway-aided arrest.
And finally
An American man is facing up to six years in jail and a £5.5k fine for shooting his lawnmower with a shotgun after being unable to start the machine. Keith Walendowski had reportedly had a few ales when he shot the mower in a rage.
He informed officers: "I can do that. It's my lawn mower and my yard, so I can shoot it if I want". Unsurprisingly, the police did not accept this line of defence and charged him with "possession of a short-barrelled shotgun or rifle and disorderly conduct".
