Kuth got the idea for the magnetically controlled capsule endoscope eleven years ago. "One of my areas of focus at Siemens Healthcare was the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners,” he says. “I wanted to apply my expertise and Siemens' high level of competence in the use of magnetic fields to a new invention.” He didn't go looking for the solution to a problem, as is usually the case with inventions, but rather already had the idea for a solution in search of a problem. The capsule endoscope had been on the market since 1999. It could not be controlled, however. Instead, it was transported through the body via the natural movements of the gastro-intestinal tract and eventually excreted. Kuth learned at a brainstorming session that doctors wanted a device that they could control and also use to examine the stomach, sparing the patient the gastroscopy with a tube endoscope. This procedure is not only unpleasant, in many cases it also requires sedation with medications.

This gave Kuth the idea to develop a magnetically controlled endoscopy capsule, which patented successfully in 2001. "You could say that I pursued this idea as a professional hobby over the years," says the researcher. The capsule's potential for innovation was there from the start. Diseases of the upper digestive tract are common. Roughly 250,000 patients are examined each day in Europe because of complaints in this region. "This was a major reason why Hermann Requardt, CEO of Siemens Healthcare, decided to have a prototype built," recalls Kuth.

Kuth was able to recruit Olympus Medical Systems as a partner for the construction of the capsule endoscope. The Japanese company is a leading manufacturer of endoscopes. Siemens is responsible for the magnetic control system. "We essentially use modified subsystems from MRI scanners for the magnetic navigation," says Kuth, describing the system. All that a patient needs to do is fast for one day and then drink lots of water so that his or her stomach is full. He or she then swallows the capsule and lies down on a table in the opening of the magnets so that the stomach and the capsule within it are located at the center of the system. The doctor uses two joysticks to control the movement of the capsule. The capsule can be inclined, rotated and moved vertically and horizontally in the water-filled stomach. The magnet generates variable magnetic fields that can be used to navigate the capsule. Cameras at both ends of the capsule deliver images that are transmitted by radio to the image processing system. The procedure is almost imperceptible to the patient. "The patient can relax and converse with the doctor during the examination, and can even look at the images from his or her stomach," says Kuth. The new system has already completed initial clinical testing, and additional tests with large numbers of patients are now beginning.

Since 1989, Kuth has been involved in 389 medical technology inventions, including functional magnetic resonance imaging of the lungs and a so-called combination head fixation apparatus and magnetic resonance coil for interventional MRI. "The major advantage of a broadbased company such as Siemens is that a very large number of experts in countless specialties are close at hand," he says. He worked with colleagues on every one of his inventions and has a total of around 200 co-inventors. Kuth has 130 granted individual patents in 254 IPR families to his name.

Upon completing his studies in Düsseldorf, Germany, the physicist began his career with Kraftwerksunion, a joint venture between Siemens and AEG. He joined Siemens Healthcare in 1989 and today is responsible for medical endoscopy at the company. "That is a relatively new field for Siemens, in which we are seeking to position ourselves with innovative products," says Kuth, who raves about his employees. "There is no shortage in my very young team of supposedly ‘crazy ideas’ that could become products one day."

Kuth lives with his wife, who is a musician, and three children in Höchstadt outside of Erlangen, the home of Siemens Healthcare. He loves portrait photography and has recently discovered the fascinating world of bats, which he studies with the aid of cameras.