This paper studies the modelling of capsule–intestine contact through experimental and numerical investigation for designing a self-propelled capsule robot moving inside the small intestine for endoscopic diagnosis. Due to the natural peristalsis of the intestinal tract, capsule–intestine contact is multimodal causing intermittent high transit speed for the capsule, which leads to incomplete visualisation of the intestinal surface. Three typical conditions, partial and full contacts, between the small intestine and the capsule, are considered in this work. Extensive experimental testing and finite element analysis are conducted to compare the contact pressure on the capsule. Our analytical, experimental and numerical results show a good agreement. The investigation using a synthetic small intestine shows that the contact pressure could vary from 0.5 to 16 kPa according to different contact conditions, i.e. expanding or contracting due to the peristalsis of the small intestine. Therefore, a proper control method or a robust stabilising mechanism, which can accommodate such a high pressure difference, will be crucial for designing the robot.