Scientists Built a Paper-Based Battery You Can Swallow. It Could Power Medical Pills for Days
The paper-like battery generated 1.84 volts and powered ingestible devices for up to three days before breaking down.
- MIT researchers created a swallowable battery designed to power ingestible devices safely, allowing electronic pills to function within the body before breaking down and being absorbed.
- Swallowing conventional batteries is typically a medical emergency, yet doctors increasingly use ingestible devices like capsule cameras, creating urgent demand for safer, biodegradable power sources.
- The paper-like battery generates up to 1.84 volts and sustains power for approximately three days before degrading, according to research published in Nature Chemical Engineering.
- Experiments with pigs demonstrated the technology powering an RFID tracking capsule and a device that increased hunger hormones by as much as 50% within 20 minutes.
- Scientists emphasize that human clinical trials are necessary to establish safety, as current devices still contain non-biodegradable circuit boards requiring replacement or redesign.
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14 Articles
A new bioabsorbable battery that can power electronic devices inside pigs' stomachs
Researchers have been working for a long time on swallowed devices that collect data, deliver drugs and control the state of health inside the body. These devices require food, but conventional batteries are rigid, take place and can cause injury or block the gastrointestinal tract.
Using materials that are safe for human consumption, MIT researchers have developed tiny batteries that could be used to power ingestible electronic devices. Such batteries could make the devices safer for patients and reduce environmental pollution.
MIT researchers have developed a paper-based battery that can power electronic devices in the digestive tract, then decompose and be absorbed by the body.
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