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Edible "Intelligent Pills"

Posted by kdawson on from the success-with-heart-failure dept.

Ian Lamont sends along a brief note from the Industry Standard about "intelligent" pills that can help doctors record information about drug dosages, heart rate, respiratory rate, and other metrics. The pills, being developed by Proteus Biomedicals, have "digestible sensors" made out of food products and are activated by stomach fluids. A receiver that is similar to a skin patch picks up the data and can be passed on to a 3G mobile network, and from there to hospitals or doctors' offices. According to the Proteus site, the sensors cost a few cents per pill. The devices, currently in clinical trials, made #8 on Wired's list of the top technology breakthroughs of 2008.

6 of 105 comments (clear)

  1. Yes! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I for one welcome our intelligent pill overlords

    1. Re:Yes! by HTH+NE1 · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      I for one welcome our intelligent pill overlords

      At least they'll be better than our intelligent deuterium ore-valords.

      --
      Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
  2. If it works, it will become part of society. by pwnies · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Think about it. When calculators first came out, they were often outlawed in math courses because teachers thought that if you used a calculator than you wouldn't be able to do the problems later in life. Once people realized though that no one in their right mind would abstain from a calculator outside of the classroom though, they became accepted.

    I have a feeling this will take the same course. It'll be used at first for medicine, yea. But eventually it'll find its way into classrooms, to the disdain of the teachers. After another era it will become accepted for use, and finally required. It's not hard to imagine a course that along side of the necessary books lists the prescription for the drugs you'll be required to take.<br>
    Don't get me wrong though, it's not a bad thing. It's simply society changing. I for one welcome it (and I'm not just playing on the /. gag).

  3. 8Th? by rcuhljr · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Did subby read the article? it placed 9th on the list I saw.

  4. Smart pills? by LoRdTAW · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Ah! These are the opposite of the stupid pills Mr. Potato head spoke of. Interesting.

  5. Drink me, eat me. by Neanderthal+Ninny · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    This looks like something from "Inner space" sans Dennis Quaid character "Lt. Tuck Pendelton".