Wednesday, November 12

An intelligent pill...

By Shilpa C Nangali

You might have heard a lot about iPod, iRobots but have u ever heard about an iPill? Wondering what it is?

Definitely not Cipla’s emergency contraceptive!

Philips has developed an "intelligent pill" (iPill), which contains a microprocessor, battery, wireless radio, pump and a drug reservoir. The uniqueness of this iPill is that it can release medication in a specific area in the body. This iPill capsule can measure acidity with a sensor to determine its location in the gut, and can then release drugs where they are needed. This iPill is especially useful for those who are suffering from digestive tract disorders. Delivering drugs to treat digestive tract disorders such as Crohn's disease directly to the location of the disease means doses can be lower, reducing side effects.


However, capsules containing miniature cameras are already used as diagnostic tools but one disadvantage with these capsules is lack of the ability to deliver drugs. Also, these iPills can measure the local temperature and report it wirelessly to an external receiver!

But I don’t understand why everything must start with “i” ??? ;)

3 comments:

  1. Talking about i-Pills, the very first thing that comes to mind is the movie Mission Impossible 3.

    An explosive pill embedded inside the protagonist's head, when activated explodes killing the person instantly.

    Wondering whether its still a concept or it does exist in reality.

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  2. lol first of all does it come with a cool ipod case? and second...once it's inside your body how do you get rid of it??????? hahahaha.

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  3. @Rocksta - yeah..samething happened with me! MI3 was the first thing that came to my mind when I read about intelligent pills. But these pills do not carry any harmful sideeffects as far as the press release issued by Philips company, we need to wait n see if der r any!

    @Linda..seeme like u r more fun loving kinda person ;) chill

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