Smart bowel control capsule

2022: Announcement

On December 1, 2022, it became known that researchers from the University of California, San Diego (USA) developed an advanced swallowed capsule for monitoring the small intestine for a long time.

The product is a smart "tablet" with dimensions of 9 × 26 mm. It makes it possible to track metabolites (metabolic products of any compounds) of the intestine in real time, which was previously impossible. This opens up completely new possibilities for the control of nutrition, diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, the prevention of obesity and other things.

Smart bowel control capsule

The capsule does not need a traditional battery or battery. She is powered by a miniature fuel cell that runs on glucose. The equipment includes an ultra-low power electronic circuit, wireless data transmission and advanced electrochemical sensors. During testing, the device continuously monitored glucose levels in the small intestines of pigs, transmitting readings every five seconds for two to five hours.

{{quote 'Our goal is to develop a sensory platform for the gut that will allow many different kinds of information to be collected over long periods of time. We hope that such data will be useful in terms of a better understanding of how changes in the environment of the small intestine affect the well-being and state of the human body, the researchers note. }} Further plans by scientists include reducing the size of the capsule. In addition, the smart "tablet" will receive additional sensors to collect various indicators. Experts hope that in the future their development will form the basis of simpler and more effective methods for monitoring the small intestine. In addition, compared to existing means, a compact ingestible capsule will not cause discomfort in patients.^[1]

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