Edible Microchips Alert Doctors if Patients Take Incorrect Dosage
Posted on January 19, 2012
The Independent reports that edible microchips that track dosage will be available in British pharmacies by the end of the year. The technology from Proteus Biomedical is called Helius. It consists of digestible sensors that are smaller than a grain of sand. The chips are seen attached to the top of pills in the image on the right. The tiny chips work with a sensor patch worn on the body. The sensor patch can then transmit medical wherever it is needed - such as to the mobile phone of a caregiver or physician, or to a server storing the data.
Nature says the tiny chips, which contain tiny amounts of copper and magnesium, are powered like potato batteries. Andrew Thompson, chief executive of Proteus, says, "If you swallow one of these devices, you are the potato that creates a voltage, and we use that to power the device that creates the signal."
Technology like Helius could potentially help Alzheimer's or stroke patients who have to take a lot of drugs and have memory problems that makes it impossible for them to remember their complex pill regimen. It could also help any patient who wants to track medicine intake in their bodies. However, others may not like the idea of the loss of privacy and/or the idea of ingesting tiny microchips.