This innovative ingestible temperature sensor can measure body temperature with an accuracy of up to 0.01 °C while operating on a 1.55-volt coin-cell battery. Its energy-efficient backscattering technology further reduces power consumption by allowing external antennas to provide most of the required energy. The device receives ultra-high-frequency radio waves, modulates them using an internal antenna, and reflects the signals back to an external antenna. By analyzing changes in the returned radio waves, the system can calculate precise temperature readings.
“This is the smallest ingestible capsule we have ever developed for continuous temperature monitoring,” says Saransh Sharma, a former MIT postdoctoral researcher now at the University of Cambridge and lead author of the study.
Researchers believe the wireless ingestible sensor could support a wide range of healthcare applications, including early infection detection, patient monitoring during and after anesthesia, fever tracking in children, and ovulation monitoring. The technology may also help monitor athletes, soldiers, and other people exposed to extreme temperatures.
“Sensors like this could help healthcare professionals monitor patients and identify infections earlier,” said Giovanni Traverso, associate professor of mechanical engineering and one of the study’s senior authors, along with MIT President Anantha Chandrakasan. “This is especially important for people at higher risk, including those who are immunosuppressed.” In the future, the researchers hope the ingestible temperature sensor could complement or replace conventional thermometers for a wide range of users.
Source: www.technologyreview.com