Smart Pill Reports on Digestive System
Posted on July 5, 2006
A company called SmartPill Corporation has created a pill that records and transmits diagnostic information about the digestive system after being swallowed by a patient. The new pill could help replace a series of tests that gastroparesis patients have to take.
SmartPill ceo David Barthel tells Live Science that "These patients will often run through all these procedures [and others] and it could take anywhere from six months to two years to accurately diagnose a motility patient."
The pill collects data and transmits its location as it travels through the esophagus, stomach and intestines. The SmartPill transmits information to a receiver worn by the patient. The pill costs $500 and is powered by two tiny batteries.
Megadget reports that the pill has received FDA approval. Other feedback pills have been developed for recording body temperature and photographing the intestines.