Over the past several years, scientists have developed so-called “camera pills” that can be swallowed by patients and then send video from within their bodies. While such non-digestible pills could serve as an invaluable means of imaging, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are now looking into tiny electronic medical devices that not only could be swallowed but also partially digested.
The research project is being led by professors Christopher Bettinger and Jay Whitacre. Bettinger has been working on biodegradable(可生物降解的）electronics for medical use, while Whitacre has developed an inexpensive battery which is safe to eat.
“I had claimed my battery was so harmless that you could eat it," said Whitacre. “Chris came into my office and asked me whether I could really eat it. The answer is yes and the rest is history —my eatable battery and its need for low level power in a digestible form were a great match.”
The concept involves having simple electronic devices powered by the batteries. These devices would be folded down and put into a capsule and the capsule could be taken daily like regular medication, and the devices would stay within the patient’s digestive system for about 22 to 24 hours (just like food) although their functional lifetime would be one to two hours. Finally, the various components would either be digested or passed into the toilet—so no, nothing would be re-used.
This is a big step in history, and it opens up a lot of different applications in powered eatable electronics. The two scientists are now ready to take the next step. There is a big future in eatable devices because most patients are comfortable with swallowing a pill. The key is to make the materials safe, which the scientists have done.
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