New microchips could aid tracking of smart pills in the body

US researchers have created a new prototype miniature medical device that could ultimately be used to improve the traceability of smart pills.

The California Institute of Technology team have developed silicon-chip devices called ATOMS, which contain a set of integrated sensors, resonators and wireless transmission technology to allow them to mimic the magnetic resonance properties of atoms.

These small units have a low power consumption, with the final prototype measuring only 1.4 sq mm, making them 250 times smaller than a penny. They have been successfully tested and proven to work in lab mice.

Researchers are already able to detect the exact location of these microchips as they move through the body, something that was not previously possible with smart pills. Next, they hope to build a version that can both relay its location and sense body states, including pH, temperature, pressure and sugar concentrations.

Azita Emami, professor of electrical and medical engineering and an investigator at Caltech's Heritage Medical Research Institute, said: "The dream is that we will have microscale devices that are roaming our bodies and either diagnosing problems or fixing things."

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