We are familiar with a wide range of sensors in the field of electronics. They are used widely in the various experiments research activities too. This microelectronic pill is such a sensor with a number of channels and is called as a multichannel figure 1 shown below sensor. As the name implies, this sensor is a pill. That is it meant to go inside the body and to study the internal conditions.

Figure 1: Micro-electronic Pills

Earlier it was when the transistor was invented, that radiometry capsules were first put into use. These capsules made use of simple [1] circuits for studying the gastrointestinal tract. Some of the reasons that prevented their use were their size and their limitation of not to transmit through more than a single channel. They had poor reliability and sensitivity.

The microelectronic pill consists of a machined biocompatible (non-cytotoxic), chemically resistant polyether-terketone (PEEK) capsule and a PCB chip carrier acting as a common platform for attachment of sensors, ASIC, transmitter & batteries. The fabricated sensors were each attached by wire bonding to a custom made chip carrier made from a 10pin, 0.5pitch polymide ribbon connector.

The connector in turn was connected to an industrial STD, flat cable plug (FCP) socket attached to the PCB carrier chip of the microelectronic pill, to facilitate the rapid replacement of the sensors when required. The PCB chip carrier was made from 2 STD. 1.6 mm-thick fiberglass boards attached back to back epoxy resin which maximized the distance between the 2 sensor chips.

This digital pill's sensor, developed by Proteus Digital Health, is activated by acid in the stomach, and generates an electrical signal that is picked up by a patch worn on the ribcage; the patch in turn forwards information to a smartphone app.

Benefits or advantages of Electronic Pill

Following are the benefits or advantages of Electronic Pill:

• It is used for disease detection and abnormalities in the human being.
• It is smaller in size and hence can easily be moved through digestive system.
• It is very accurate, precise and effective.[2]
• It offers high sensitivity, good reliability and life times.
• It offers very long life of cells (about 40 hours), less power (about 12.1 mWatt), current (about 3.9 mA) and voltage (about 3.1V) requirement.
• It is made of bio-compatible material which doesn't cause any harm to the body.

Disadvantages of Electronic Pill

Following are the challenges or drawbacks or disadvantages of Electronic Pill

• Patients with gastrointestinal structures or narrowing are not good candidates for this procedure due to risk of obstruction. Nanotechnology based rice grain sized motor helps in overcoming this drawback.
• For camera type electronic pill, it is not possible to control the behaviour of the camera. Bi-directional telemetry camera helps in overcoming this situation.
• The electronic pill will get stucked if there is a partial obstruction in the small intestine.
• It is very expensive and as a result not affordable by poor patients.
• It is not reusable.

References:

1. https://ipcsautomation.com/blog-post/what-are-electronic-pills-and-their-applications/
2. https://www.rfwireless-world.com/Terminology/Advantages-and-Disadvantages-of-Electronic-Pill.html

Cite this article:

Nandhinidwaraka. S (2021) The Features of Micro-Electronic Pills, AnaTechmaz, pp. 28