Swallow-Signaling Pill
Rizwan Bashirullah (Venezuelan, born
1974) and Hong Yu (Chinese, born 1977)
of the Department of Electrical and
Computer Engineering (est. 1910)
Christopher Batich (American, born 1943)
of the Department of Materials Science
and Engineering (est. 1959)
University of Florida (USA, est. 1905)
Neil Euliano (American, born 1964)
of eTect, LLC (USA, est. 2009)
2010
Hard gelatin capsule, biocompatible
silver conductive ink, and silicon
semiconductor chip
7/8" (2.3 cm)
high, 1/4" (0.9 cm) diam.
Numerous studies tell us that patients
are often unreliable about taking medications,
both in clinical trials and in the
treatment of chronic illness. With this
in mind, the team of researchers behind
the Swallow-Signaling Pill envisioned
a “tattletale pill” prototype made of two
separate parts: the pill itself, equipped
with a tiny microchip and a digestible
antenna, and an electronic device
that communicates with it and can be
integrated into a watch or mobile phone.
The patient’s device sends signals to
a receiver kept by a doctor or family
member, letting them know that the
pill has been taken. The pill is powered
by infinitesimal bursts of low-voltage
electricity and requires no battery; the
patient’s stomach acid breaks down
the antenna, and the microchip is passed
through the gastrointestinal tract.
Category: Bodies
Tags: Communications / Interfaces / Networks
