{"id":25230,"date":"2026-09-22T10:41:16","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T06:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/?p=25230"},"modified":"2026-09-22T10:45:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T06:45:47","slug":"scientists-have-developed-an-edible-miniature-electronic-component-that-safely-breaks-down-in-the-body","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/scientists-have-developed-an-edible-miniature-electronic-component-that-safely-breaks-down-in-the-body\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists have developed an edible miniature electronic component that safely breaks down in the body"},"content":{"rendered":"

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an edible miniature battery made from a rice-paper-like material. The innovative power source can power ingestible medical devices inside the body and, after completing its function, safely degrades in the digestive tract, allowing the body to absorb its constituent components. The findings of the study, which has already been successfully tested in pigs, were published today in the scientific journal Nature Chemical Engineering<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Swallowing conventional batteries is extremely dangerous because, if damaged, they can cause chemical burns and the leakage of toxic substances. To avoid these risks, the scientists built the new device entirely from non-toxic materials. For the electrodes, they used magnesium and molybdenum, metallic micronutrients that are essential to the body, while a biodegradable ionic liquid was selected as the electrolyte.<\/p>\n

Particular attention was paid to the device\u2019s packaging. To encase the device, the researchers used a cellulose-based material resembling edible paper used for sweets, which gradually dissolves over time. To slow the aggressive effects of stomach acid, the capsule was coated with beeswax. Testing in simulated gastric fluid showed that the battery begins to break down within two weeks and completely disappears within several months.<\/p>\n

The scientists tested the new technology in two different devices in pigs. The first was an RFID (radio-frequency identification) transmitter that sent data from inside the body. The second was a gastric electrical stimulator that triggered the release of ghrelin, the hunger hormone. According to the researchers, similar electronic interventions in the gastrointestinal system could eventually become a non-invasive alternative to radical weight-management methods such as bariatric surgery.<\/p>\n

The scientists\u2019 main goal now is to move the technology into clinical development. They estimate that human studies could begin in less than two years. Ingestible electronics could be particularly important for patients who need to take medications on a precise schedule \u2014 for example, people with Parkinson\u2019s disease or those undergoing therapy following organ transplantation. The researchers deliberately left empty space inside the capsule, accounting for about 75% of its volume, so that conventional medications could also be placed inside.<\/p>\n

Nature<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed an edible miniature battery made from a rice-paper-like material. The innovative power source can power ingestible medical devices inside the body and, after completing its function, safely degrades in the digestive tract, allowing the body to absorb its constituent components. The findings of the study, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25229,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1594,1665,1587,1657],"tags":[7128,4047],"class_list":["post-25230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news","category-public-health","category-research","category-science","tag-edible-miniature-electronic","tag-mit"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25230"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25230\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25234,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25230\/revisions\/25234"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25229"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/medscriptum.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}