The FDA has approved an ingestible sensor in the US that has been in use in Europe since 2011. The sensor is called the Ingestion Event Marker and involves a sensor the size of a grain of sand embedded in a pill or other edible item. The sensor is swallowed by the user and is powered by stomach acid.
Once ingested, the sensor is able to gather medical data about the person and send that data to a smartphone application. The sensor inside the stomach would send the raw data to a patch worn on the user’s abdomen.
The data is then sent to the to the smartphone application. The data collected would include things such as heart rate, body position, and activity. Once the data is collected by the smartphone, the user can also opt to have it forwarded to their physician. Pricing and availability for the sensor are known at this time.
via CBS News
