Gizmodo: pills

Philips iPill Senses Location in Body, Delivers Doses to Precise Spots

Adrian Covert — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:20:00 EST

Philips' Intelligent Pill is a robotic capsule that can carry out a number of advanced medical functions, such as knowing its location in the body. According to Reuters, the pint-sized devices measures acidity and temperature in the stomach, determines it's position in the stomach, and knows whether or not it should release its dose of medicine. Making use of a microprocessor, wireless radio and battery, along with a pump and a deposit for the drugs, the pill could greatly help patients with disorders like Crohn's disease; because the iPill can deliver drugs to a more exact spot, less drugs would be required (leading to less side effects). Researchers say the prototype is ready for mass manufacturing. [Reuters via CrunchGear]

PillCam Poised to Photograph Pizza Perforations

Mark Wilson — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:40:00 EDT

Fact: After years of too much pizza and beer, every time I exhale, my esophagus plays Merry Had a Little Lamb. Now PillCams have seen a major upgrade that will allow scientists—who've long been wanting to study my ravaged GI tract in hopes of developing a superior race of competitive eaters—to check out my esophagus and stomach for far longer than the four seconds it usually takes to swallow a pill.

While details are light on just how the pill manages to hang out in your esophagus for up to 10 minutes even when the patient is sitting up (magnets seem to be involved), the doctor can use a remote to steer the camera armed with LED flash to grab the perfect digestive glamor shots. After that, the pill takes a ride through your stomach and intestines before making a crash water landing.

Clinical trials are already under way. And as unpleasant as having a pill poking away at my chest may sound, it's a lot more enticing than being scoped...from either direction. [fraunhofer via medgadget]

Pill Towel: Do Not Take on any Stomach

Mark Wilson — Sat, 03 Mar 2007 12:45:21 EST

The Pill Towel is the official weapon of the domesticated James Bond. Stored in an ordinary pill pack, a few drops of water transforms this ordinary-looking pill into a 11x9" multipurpose cloth of doom.

Your windows will never know what hit 'em. $12 for 16. – Mark Wilson

Product Page [via uberreview]

Pill Box Cellphone Strap: Practicality in a Charm?

Mark Wilson — Sun, 18 Feb 2007 14:55:36 EST

Cellphone charms are not meant to be practical, unless you've found a function for that golden poo (and if so, hit the tips email asap, please).

But this pill box cellphone strap is bursting with functionality, be it curing headaches, alleviating gas or preventing unwanted pregnancies (that are ironically some fault of your cellphone in the first place).

For $6.50 you never know. It Might Just Save Your Life. – Mark Wilson

Product Page [via tokyomango]