Swallowable-capsule technology

Swallowable capsules that represent self-contained microsystems, which perform a sensing or actuating function in the body, are evolving to help uncover gastrointestinal (GI) tract mysteries in diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The microsystem consists of the core components such as sensors, signal-conditioning block, communication block, and CPU encapsulated in a biocompatible material. Sensors convert physical properties such as light, source, or temperature into electrical signals, while the signal-conditioning block provides analog processing such as amplification and filtering to refine the detected signal. The system's main component, CPU, digitizes the signal and perform additional processing. The SmartPill Corporation has integrated temperature, pressure, and pH sensors into a single capsule, the SmartPill pH.p. The company is promoting the device as a complement to endoscopy with the potential to replace gastric-emptying scintigraphy.