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Remember the movie “Fantastic Voyage”, where a team of scientists was shrunk and sent on a mission inside the human body? Well we’re not quite there yet, but researchers have come up with the next best thing. I’m Jim Metzner and this is the Pulse of the Planet. Scientists in Israel have just developed a camera in a pill — a new device that’s small enough to be swallowed harmlessly, but powerful enough to transmit color video images of a person’s gastrointestinal tract. Paul Swain, a gastroenterologist with the Royal London Hospital, conducted the first trials of this amazing new pill, which can be used to help spot internal bleeding from ulcers, tumors and other disorders.
“Well, inside the pill there’s a tiny television camera. We also have a lighting system which flashes on and off in synchrony with the camera. And we’ve got three tiny hearing aid batteries which power the whole thing. And then there’s an absolutely minuet color television transmitter which goes inside this. Not very powerful, but powerful enough to pass through the abdomen of the patient. And it’s all encased in a tough plastic. The capsule measures 11 mm in diameter and it’s 30 mm in length, and it’s got rounded ends, so it’s slightly torpedo shaped, which makes it easy to swallow.”
Once it is swallowed, the camera inside the pill has a life of about six hours — long enough for it to capture and transmit images of the gullet, the stomach, and the small intestine. Because it takes about 24 hours for this disposable camera to pass through the entire digestive system, scientists are hoping that they’ll be able to extend the battery life in the future, and capture even more outstanding images.
To hear about our new CD, please visit pulseplanet.com. Pulse of the Planet is made possible by the National Science Foundation. I’m Jim Metzner.
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