A robotic rectum has been developed to help doctors and nurses detect cancer after only one man registered to allow medical students to examine his prostate.

The technology, which consists of prosthetic buttocks and rectum with in-built robotic technology, has been developed by scientists at Imperial College London. The idea is the device helps train doctors and nurses to perform rectal examinations by accurately recreating the feel of a rectum, as well as providing computer feedback on their examination technique.