Digital health company Celero Systems is developing an electronic pill that can measure heart rate, respiratory rate and temperature from inside the stomach. First, the company wants to focus on people with a chronic condition. They can use the digital capsule to monitor their vital functions at home. In the future, they hope to use the pill as a kind of internal warning system for overdose.

The measurements that birth control pills can currently take still cost a lot of money via alternative methods such as a finger clip. Patients can request a home test where they wear a breathing monitor on their finger at night. But this can cost hundreds of dollars and is not always accurate. The pill cannot directly measure breathing, only changes in heart rate that are thought to be caused by breathing. This makes it possible to track lung movements without the risk of the device falling from the body.

Celero’s control pills are not actually pills in the traditional sense. It is a plastic capsule, about the size of a large vitamin pill, filled with tiny sensors, a microprocessor, a radio antenna and batteries.

In your body

The capsule remains intact during its journey through the digestive tract, keeping all electronics safe until it ends up in the toilet a few days later. At the same time, all measurements are transmitted wirelessly to a laptop where they can be viewed by the researcher, doctor or even the patient themselves. To the company’s CEO Ben Bliss’ knowledge, the swallowable Celero pill is the first device to measure cardiac and respiratory activity in this way in humans.

Don’t miss anything, follow Our channel on WhatsApp Or subscribe to the Bright Daily newsletter.