Robotic Arm Performs Colonoscopy to Detect Bowel Cancer

A robotic arm with a scalpel. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A robotic arm with a scalpel. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
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Robotic Arm Performs Colonoscopy to Detect Bowel Cancer

A robotic arm with a scalpel. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)
A robotic arm with a scalpel. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Scientists have devised a new AI-powered robotic arm equipped with a probe and a magnet that can perform 'less painful' colonoscopies to check for bowel cancer by using the magnet to externally steer a camera probe through the gut, The Daily Mail reported. The system developed by a team from Leeds University could prove to be the first major update in decades to the procedure, which is used some 100,000 times each year in the UK. In a colonoscopy, a camera-ended probe is passed through the rectum and colon to hunt for and remove abnormalities and take tissue samples.

The examination can be uncomfortable for the patient and requires highly skilled doctors to be performed, limiting the availability of the procedure. The artificially intelligent system, however, will aid less experienced doctors and nurses in safely guiding the probe to precise locations within the colon. Patient trials using the system could begin as early as next year.

"Colonoscopy gives doctors a window into the world hidden deep inside the human body and it provides a vital role in the screening of diseases such as colorectal cancer. But the technology has remained relatively unchanged for decades," said author Pietro Valdastri of Leeds University.

"What we have developed is a system that is easier for doctors or nurses to operate and is less painful for patients. It marks an important step in the move to make colonoscopy much more widely available, essential if colorectal cancer is to be identified early," Valdastri added.

According to Professor Valdastri and his colleagues, the new procedure has been designed to be easier to administer, thereby increasing the number of providers who can perform the procedure and, accordingly, patient access to colonoscopies. A doctor or nurse would still need to be on hand to make clinical decisions, but the demanding task of guiding the probe would be offloaded to the robotic system.

The set-up still uses an endoscopic probe, as with traditional colonoscopies, but the team's new version is smaller and is guided after insertion not by a doctor or nurse pushing the colonoscope, but using a magnet held over the patient by the robot. As the arm moves around the patient, it maneuvers the capsule, which also contains tiny magnets along with it.



Impostor Uses AI to Impersonate Rubio and Contact Foreign and US Officials

Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department, June 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department, June 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
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Impostor Uses AI to Impersonate Rubio and Contact Foreign and US Officials

Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department, June 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio attends a signing ceremony for a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the State Department, June 27, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

The State Department is warning US diplomats of attempts to impersonate Secretary of State Marco Rubio and possibly other officials using technology driven by artificial intelligence, according to two senior officials and a cable sent last week to all embassies and consulates.

The warning came after the department discovered that an impostor posing as Rubio had attempted to reach out to at least three foreign ministers, a US senator and a governor, according to the July 3 cable, which was first reported by The Washington Post.

The recipients of the scam messages, which were sent by text, Signal and voice mail, were not identified in the cable, a copy of which was shared with The Associated Press.

“The State Department is aware of this incident and is currently investigating the matter,” it said. “The department takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard its information and continuously takes steps to improve the department’s cybersecurity posture to prevent future incidents.”

It declined to comment further due to “security reasons” and the ongoing investigation.

One of the officials said the hoaxes had been unsuccessful and “not very sophisticated.” Nonetheless, the second official said the department deemed it “prudent” to advise all employees and foreign governments, particularly as efforts by foreign actors to compromise information security increase.

The officials were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

“There is no direct cyber threat to the department from this campaign, but information shared with a third party could be exposed if targeted individuals are compromised,” the cable said.

The FBI warned in a public service announcement this past spring of a “malicious text and voice messaging campaign” in which unidentified “malicious actors” have been impersonating senior US government officials.

The scheme, according to the FBI, has relied on text messages and AI-generated voice messages that purport to come from a senior US official and that aim to dupe other government officials as well as the victim’s associates and contacts.

It is the second high-level Trump administration official to face such AI-driven impersonation.

The government was investigating after elected officials, business executives and other prominent figures received messages from someone impersonating President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles. Text messages and phone calls went out from someone who seemed to have gained access to the contacts in Wiles’ personal cellphone, The Wall Street Journal reported in May.

Some of those who received calls heard a voice that sounded like Wiles, which may have been generated by artificial intelligence, according to the newspaper. The messages and calls were not coming from Wiles’ number, the report said.