The medicine cabinet of the future could help make sure patients take their medications on time via a myriad of smart technologies. There are already pill bottles that wirelessly report to a computer when a cap has been opened, and devices for automatically dispensing medicine at the right time, and for reminding patients to take their meds.
Now researchers at the University of Florida have engineered a smart
pill with a tiny antenna and microchip that could signal when it has
made it into a patient's stomach--reporting to a cell phone or computer
that she has taken her medicine. Their design is the latest of several high-tech pill-reporting efforts to improve
patient adherence and provide accurate reporting.
The prototype pill is composed of a standard pill capsule, wrapped in a thin label etched in silver nano-ink, comprising an antenna. The team also outfitted the label with a tiny microchip, which can be loaded with sensors to detect measurements like body temperature or pH levels. Both the antenna and microchip communicate with an external transmitter, which researchers say could be fashioned into a wearable device such as a wristband. The transmitter sends low frequency pulses into the body; the pill's antenna tunes into the transmitter's specific frequency, and sends pulses back, along with data collected from the microchip, potentially including the time when the patient ingested the pill, and the type of pill taken.
To read the full, original article click on this link: Technology Review: Smart Pill Reports Back
Author: Jennifer Chu
