Over the last few years there has been explosion in wearable body sensors. Products like the Fitbit Flex, Jawbone Up, Nike Fuel Band, and Body Media Core have made it easy for users and their medical providers to track their activity levels and rest patterns to make informed, healthy choices. Consumers are hungry for wearable sensors. A recent Forbes article said the Freedonia Group expects the global sensor industry to grow from more than $11 billion to nearly $15 billion by 2016. Apple CEO Tim Cook also remarked that, “the whole sensor field is going to explode.” As developers try to create more accurate and comprehensive wearable devices, the sensor market is also expanding beyond armbands and bracelets into products that are much more invasive. Start-up companies such as Proteus Digital Health and HQ Inq are developing edible body sensors that track information from inside the user’s body. Small pill-like devices can be swallowed by the user and wirelessly transmit information about the patient to an external device such as a computer or mobile device. The idea is not entirely new. Edible sensors have been used by professional athletes and astronauts for years to track their vital signs. However, primary care physicians could begin prescribing these devices to the public next year. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Proteus pill last year, and they will be available as early as 2014. The Proteus sensor uses the patient’s body as its power source. With magnesium and copper on either side of the sensor, it is capable of generating electricity from patient’s stomach acids. The pill than wirelessly transmits information, such as heart rate, activity, temperature, and rest, to a patch the patient wears. From there the information is relayed to a Bluetooth enabled device, where the user can access applications that display the data. The technology is pretty cool. Ingestible devices have the edge over most wearable devices in the sense that they can capture the user’s temperature and heart rate, but they do have one major drawback. Ingestible sensors only remain in the body for 24 hours. On the Proteus website, the company presents a scenario where the patient would ingest the device each day with his or her medication. That may work fine for users that have to take medications, but it will not appeal to the average consumer who wants to learn more about their body. With that said, the technology is still in its infancy, and there are still several opportunities to be explored. According to iMedicalApps, Google and Motorola are looking into using edible devices to verify a person’s identity so they can automatically turn on a car or mobile phone. That could make losing your keys an entirely different experience.
About Ben Amirault
Ben Amirault was formerly the marketing manager at Barton Associates' Peabody, MA headquarters. He received a B.A. in English, specializing in journalism, from the University of New Hampshire.
