Tiny Dissolving Batteries Could Power Medical Devices After You Swallow Them
Learn how researchers have created an ingestible battery that dissolves within weeks and is safer for your health and the environment.
Researchers at MIT are creating batteries that can power ingestible electronic devices before breaking down harmlessly in the body. Their tiny batteries produce 1.84 volts and can operate two different devices in animal experiments. One battery sends a wireless signal from the digestive tract, while the other delivers electrical stimulation to the stomach to release a hormone involved in hunger.
The batteries utilize bioresorbable materials like magnesium and molybdenum trioxide, making them safe for the body to absorb. In stomach fluid, the batteries function well for about three days before gradually losing power and breaking down completely within a few weeks. The battery technology could enable continuous stimulation for as long as three days and extend the communication range of medication-tracking systems in animals.
Human testing for the system is still pending, with a clinical trial for the medication-tracking system called SAFARI expected to begin in about two years.
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