Because a good ol’ thermometer is no longer high-tech enough, scientists have created a mini-computer inside a pill to measure core body temperature.
Pills such as the CorTemp from HQ Inc. are not quite ready for widespread use, but “some people on the cutting edge are already swallowing them to monitor a range of health data and wirelessly share this information with a doctor,” the New York Times’ Bits blog reports. The pills contain sensors and transmitters and are swallowed with
At $46 a pop, many users may want to recycle the devices — which they can do, after they’ve, er, “passed” them.
Pills like this have been used for a while by “people in extreme professions, like space travel,” the Times reports, but they could be available for civilians within the next year.
Scientists are also working on prototypes of ingestible devices that can automatically open car doors or fill in passwords, the Times reports. Soon it’ll be the height of glamour to be able to open a door just by walking by like you’re Obi-Wan Kenobi or something.
