Swallowing the Future
At the California Institute of Technology, researchers have developed a “location-aware” smart pill that uses magnetic fields to help pinpoint its location in the twists and turns of intestines. This could be useful for monitoring food in the GI tract to determine why things aren’t moving.
Other researchers are using AI models to enhance the transmission of video from inside the body and reduce the time it takes to interpret images.
One group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has developed a vibrating weight loss capsule designed to stimulate receptors in the gut to signal the brain that the person is full.
Not everyone is a fan of the smart-pill revolution. Some critics have raised concerns about privacy. Others fear that doctors risk yielding too much power to technology. Even those who are excited about the pills’ possibilities temper their optimism with caution.
None of these smart pills have gone mainstream yet in clinical practice, said Vivek Kaul, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, and secretary general of the World Gastroenterology Organization.
Clinical validation, accessibility, and insurance coverage “will be critical in shaping their role,” he said. “But overall, it would be fair to state that this technology has come of age and the future is bright.”
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.