Ingestible Hydrogel Pill Inflates in Stomach for Longterm Monitoring

MIT  engineers have developed an ingestible pill-sized device that, once in the stomach, inflates to the size of a ping pong ball. The design for the hydrogel pill is inspired by the defense mechanisms of the pufferfish, or blowfish. The device is embedded with a sensor that continuously tracks the stomach’s temperature for up to 30 days. The soft, squishy device could track ulcers, cancers, and other GI conditions over the long term.