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Philips iPill Senses Location in Body, Delivers Doses to Precise Spots
Posted by Adrian Covert at 10:20 AM on November 12, 2008
Philips' Intelligent Pill is a robotic capsule that can carry out a number of advanced medical functions, such as knowing its location in the body. According to Reuters, the pint-sized devices measures acidity and temperature in the stomach, determines it's position in the stomach, and knows whether or not it should release its dose of medicine. Making use of a microprocessor, wireless radio and battery, along with a pump and a deposit for the drugs, the pill could greatly help patients with disorders like Crohn's disease; because the iPill can deliver drugs to a more exact spot, less drugs would be required (leading to less side effects). Researchers say the prototype is ready for mass manufacturing. [Reuters via CrunchGear]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
tricky1
Posted 12:40 PM 12/11/08
This could be awesome...I have Crohns so I'm curious as to what use this could be.
tricky1
Stem_Sell
Posted 12:36 PM 12/11/08
Digestive tract tattler? Sounds like a 'stool pigeon' to me...
Stem_Sell
brainswarm
Posted 12:27 PM 12/11/08
Dear god, please tell me it isn't re-usable.
brainswarm
Alex7575
Posted 12:27 PM 12/11/08
@GC: I'm sure they'll put some kind of fail safe that will dispose copious amounts of cyanide into the bloodstream so that your death is as painless as possible...
Alex7575
GC
Posted 12:24 PM 12/11/08
Damn. That's awesome! I hope it wouldn't be possible to cause an overdose in case it malfunctions and releases the medicine at the wrong time or wrong place in the digestive tract.
GC
Alex7575
Posted 12:23 PM 12/11/08
"Good news! It's a suppository!"
Alex7575
shamoononon has a hebetudinous dog ★★â˜
Posted 1:16 PM 12/11/08
@tricky1: I have IBS, ewwww.... Sorry though, that sucks.
shamoononon has a hebetudinous dog ★★★★★
whiteknight
Posted 1:04 PM 12/11/08
Interesting. This kind of stuff is what people have been writing about in sci-fi for years. I hope it's cost effective and works!
whiteknight
BigViper
Posted 1:37 PM 12/11/08
I'm more curious about how long this technology has been around. Oh the nasty things this could offer a government... or perhaps already has
BigViper
HosannaCornutus
Posted 1:22 PM 12/11/08
seriously, ipill? /sigh cool idea though
HosannaCornutus
sridhar3
Posted 1:21 PM 12/11/08
@tricky1: Probably for dispensing small localized doses of corticosteroids at inflammatory sites, which could possibly work to eliminate systemic immunosuppression otherwise associated with other methods of administration.
sridhar3
ComancheZen
Posted 2:01 PM 12/11/08
i want my ichat status to reflect the location of the pill...
ComancheZen
enchantedgoose
Posted 1:52 PM 12/11/08
is this dishwasher safe?
enchantedgoose
frigg
Posted 3:14 PM 12/11/08
Isn't that the Sony Rolly? I was wondering what it was used for.
frigg
Hamood
Posted 3:43 PM 12/11/08
"the iPill can deliver drugs to a more exact spot"
Hamood
Shai
Posted 4:33 PM 12/11/08
I wonder if you could get a wifi uplink to twitter. "Hey guys! I'm in your colon!" "Wow! What a polyp!" "Ugh! Pressure! Finally, cold water! WAAAAAAAAAIIIITT!!'
Shai
Kaiser-Machead's Cookie-Powered LEGO Machine
Posted 4:26 PM 12/11/08
@Alex7575: Man I love that show. LOL
Kaiser-Machead's Cookie-Powered LEGO Machine
yogibimbi
Posted 11:50 PM 12/11/08
hmmm, 'pint-sized'? As in 'a pint of Guinness'? No way I'm going to let that enter my colon or any other part of my body.
Now, a real pint of Guinness, that would be another proposition altogether, but I'll be getting one at the pub tomorrow night, so, no use really to worry about that.
yogibimbi
closhedbb
Posted 2:14 AM 13/11/08
@HosannaCornutus: I am also quite sick of the use of 'i' in front of everything since the damn iPod.
Is it supposed to stand for something? I kind of always thought it stood for "intelligent" or something like that, but I don't know.
closhedbb
T-Will
Posted 5:11 AM 13/11/08
@closhedbb: i = internets?
T-Will
jonthegamer
Posted 12:58 PM 12/11/08
lets just hope it isnt made in china. A pill contaminated with lead might be bad.
jonthegamer