MIT scientists make pills with biodegradable radio frequency antennas

https://interestingengineering.com/health/mit-pills-communicate-from-stomach

4 Comments

  1. Researchers have developed new pills that can communicate from the stomach. Developed by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the pill can report when it has been swallowed.

    Set to be incorporated into existing pill capsules, the system contains a biodegradable radio frequency antenna.

    After it sends out the signal that the pill has been consumed, most components break down in the stomach while a tiny RF chip passes out of the body through the digestive tract.

  2. JonesyOnReddit on

    This technology has existed for over a decade but is too expensive to put into 99.9% of pills (or at least was). It’s used to tell if the patient actually took their medicine as prescribed. I think it’s used only for the most expensive and important medicines. A big part of my job is trying to track if people are taking their meds and trying to figure out ways to get them to take their meds. I’ve always wanted to just stick these in all the pills, alas, too expensive. A lot of medical problems wouldn’t exist if people just took their drugs!