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Smart Pill Reports on Body from the Inside

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the looks-fine-from-here dept.

An anonymous reader writes "In the 1966 movie "Fantastic Voyage," scientists enter the submarine Proteus, which is miniaturized so they can go inside the body of Jan Benes and save him. While such feats may be a ways off, a new smart pill "enters and exits the body through preexisting orifices" and reports on what it finds along the way, including temperature and pH. Sounds a bit creepy, but apparently it can lickety-split diagnose a disease that otherwise requires lots of uncomfortable probing."

15 of 55 comments (clear)

  1. Look out by neonprimetime · · Score: 4, Funny

    The 26-by-13-millimeter smart pill, about the size of a multivitamin capsule, would go in and out natural orifices and report on everything in between

    And we were worried about the government wire-tapping our phones?

  2. Here's hoping... by digitalgiblet · · Score: 5, Funny
    "enters and exits the body through preexisting orifices"

    Here's hoping this means you swallow it and it exits through the other end and NOT that it enters said other end and claws its way up to exit from your mouth.

  3. Re:Some artist did this by neonprimetime · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Maybe this guy? Although it doesn't say it was an artist/magician?

  4. Pre-Existing Orificies! by neonprimetime · · Score: 2, Funny

    exits the body through preexisting orifices

    I'm just glad it exits thru Pre-existing Orifices ... as opposed to the alternative!

  5. Prexisting orifices? by phamlen · · Score: 4, Funny
    From the article:
    The disposable $500 pill--which enters and exits the body through preexisting orifices.

    Preexisting orifices? I guess we should be thankful they don't enter and exit through non-preexisting orifices - I can just imagine a doctor saying "There's this great new SmartPill but I'm gonna have to tear you a new asshole to use it."

    -Peter
  6. I am completely blown away by this by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 2, Funny

    It is so amazing what doctors can do these days with $500, a tiny encapsulated computer, and a preexisting orifice.

    --
    Fascism trolls keeping me up every night. When I starts a preachin', he HITS ME WITH HIS REICH!
    1. Re:I am completely blown away by this by nizo · · Score: 2, Funny

      Just make sure if you have to swallow one of these you get a brand new one still in the wrapper. I don't care how clean you say you can get it; I so don't want to swallow anything that came out of someone else's butt.

      --
      I Am My Own Worst Enemy
  7. Oblig Futurama by Kesch · · Score: 2, Funny

    Good news! It's a suppository!

    (P.S. Some of us enjoyed the old style 'uncomfortable' probing)

    --
    If this signature is witty enough, maybe somebody will like me.
  8. This is ripe for sniffing. by dstone · · Score: 3, Funny

    While inside the colon, "the transmitter's broadcast range is 300 feet".

    Receivers in promiscuous mode. Sniff away.

  9. Conincidentally there's a whole new... by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) · · Score: 2

    ...section opening at your favorite pr0n website...

    --
    Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
  10. Re:Some artist did this by delire · · Score: 2, Informative

    It seems you're talking about STELARC and that the work you're referring to is this.

  11. Pill Camera by Trailwalker · · Score: 4, Informative

    I had this procedure done about six weeks ago. The pill sized camera takes hundreds of pix and transmits the images to a unit I wore on a belt. After the time was up, the nurse opened the receiving unit and showed me the flash memory cartridge used to store the images.

    Happily, I wasn't required to view the resulting pix, and the camera ended up in the local sewer system.

    Painless, and you can do what you want while waiting for the six hours or so pass.

    Here is some info about the procedure.

    1. Re:Pill Camera by Orphaze · · Score: 2, Insightful

      As disgusting as it may be, being a geek I could not resist the urge to examine the camera after it has...er...passed. C'mon! Pill sized cameras? How cool is that? Little rubbing alcohol and it would be fine...

  12. A ways off? by brian0918 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If by "a ways off", you mean "absolutely impossible", then I agree. Or, do you believe there is a way to shrink atoms down to a fraction of their size?

  13. Thank God. by DashItAll · · Score: 2, Informative

    True stories of medical horror coming up. Avert your eyes! I have Chron's Disease, and one day I started bleeding profusely out of my anus. I was rushed to the hospital, and had a greased fiber-optic cable threaded up through my rectum. IT WAS THE WORST THING EVER. All I can remember is the nurse saying repeatedly "he's waking up again", and me going "nnnnnoooononggogoonnoo!" and the doctor going "Man! He's still going. Give him some more Demerol."