Innovation of the week: A smart pill that knows when it's been swallowed

There's now medicine that knows whether you're following the doctor's orders

This new technology was created to prevent people from forgetting to take their medicine.

There's now medicine that knows whether you're following the doctor's orders, said Stephanie M. Lee at BuzzFeed. Silicon Valley's Proteus Digital Health makes a "smart pill" that wirelessly alerts an app after it's been swallowed. The pill uses "digestible sensors" made from copper and magnesium that react with stomach acid "to send a tiny electrical signal," which is picked up by a Band Aid–like patch worn on the skin.

(Image credit: Courtesy image)

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up