Intestinal microbiome, Intestinal disease, Smart capsule robot, Drug delivery capsule, Capsule endoscopy, Intestinal monitoring, Medicine (General), R5-920, Biology (General), QH301-705.5

Current evidence suggests that the intestine as the new frontier for human health directly impacts both our physical and mental health. Therefore, it is highly desirable to develop the intelligent tool for the enhanced diagnosis and treatment of intestinal diseases. During the past 20 years, capsule robots have opened new avenues for research and clinical applications, potentially revolutionizing human health monitor, disease diagnosis and treatment. In this review, we summarize the research progress of edible multifunctional capsule robots in intestinal diseases. To begin, we introduce the correlation between the intestinal microbiome, intestinal gas and human diseases. After that, we focus on the technical structure of edible multifunctional robots. Subsequently, the biomedical applications in the monitoring, diagnosis and treatment of intestinal diseases are discussed in detail. Last but not least, the main challenges of multifunctional capsule robots during the development process are summarized, followed by a vision for future development opportunities.