This gadget could be swallowed. The food agency has approved it for circulation

A bitter pill to swallow

In 2013, Motorola came up with the idea to create a “smart” tablet together with Proteus Digital Health. The idea behind it was as follows: it would emit a signal when swallowedBecause stomach acid would create an electrical chargewhich would be used for user authentication e.g. when unlocking the phone.

When the head of technology Regina Dugan presented this invention at the AllThingsD D11 conference, she said: “my arms are like wires, my hands are like crocodile clips” – when it touches the phone, computer, door or car, it is automatically authenticated. These pills were supposed to be a way to reduce “mechanical barrier between man and electronics”.

She also presented at the same conference digital tattoowhich can store and emit authentication keys – and even showed prototype tattooed on his own arm.

Interestingly, the “smart” pill received approval of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to introduce it to the market. Motorola, however, abandoned this idea, although their partners from Proteus developed it further. The company has entered into cooperation with the Japanese one Otsukato introduce another pill – this time with aripiprazolea drug used, among others, in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders.

Otsuka wanted to use the signal generated by the tablet to doctors could confirm that the patient had taken the medicine. However, there were problems with the approval of this version – The FDA denied approval in 2016.but after an appeal the decision was reversed a year later. Unfortunately in 2020 Proteus declared bankruptcyand the patents were taken over by Otsuka.