By using a combination of the soft and rigid components -- connected to each other by chemical bond instead of adhesive -- the device is more flexible than completely rigid tools. Its soft parts include a suction cup that can handle tissues more gently than a hard and sharp tool can. The device also has a water-powered actuator, which is how it pops up for use after traveling through the body while lying flat on the endoscope.

Harvard says the fabrication method the team used is simple enough for bulk manufacturing. Further, the design can be scaled down to one millimeter for incredibly complex procedures in the lungs or the brain that would require an endoscope to travel through tiny spaces. The team already performed an ex-vivo (outside the body) test on a pig's stomach, but that's just the beginning. Before doctors can use it on actual patients, the team still has more tests to go: in fact, their next goal is to use it on a living animal.

Team member and paper co-author Robert Wood said: