Edible Sensors Made of Essential Minerals

Sep-24-15 Ingestible sensors powered by the acid in our stomachs could one day be used to track early signs of disease, monitor medication use, and study our own internal mechanism.

Several versions of ingestible sensors are already on the market, but they carry the possibility of getting stuck inside the body and requiring surgical removal. In contrast, the sensors in development at Carnegie Mellon University would be made from human-friendly essential minerals and encased in a biodegradable hydrogel. Once the sensor reaches the stomach, gastrointestinal fluids will flow into the battery’s open design—which features a cathode of melanin and an anode of manganese oxide—to power the device.

In lab tests, the battery generated 5 milliwatts of power for up to 20 hours.

More Info about this Invention:

[IEEE.ORG]
[CELL.COM]

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