A camera for medical purposes which is inserted into the stomach to take color photos internally.
The device was invented in Japan in 1950. It has contributed immensely to early detection of stomach cancer and diagnoses of gastric ulcer, and is now widely used.
The gastroscopic camera sealed in the time capsule consists of a camera measuring 12.7 mm in diameter attached to a cable 10.2 mm in diameter. (See photo.) It is fairly large and must have been very difficult to swallow. However, older models were rigid and must have caused even greater pain. It was said at the time that the use of fiber optics technologyü|which transmits light through glass fiberü|to develop this camera helped to significantly reduce the pain of swallowing the device.
The idea of sealing a gastroscopic camera in the capsule was selected from those submitted by the general public.