Engineers at MIT(Cambridge,MA,USA;www.web.mit.edu) and Caltech(Pasadena,CA,USA;www.caltech.edu) have developed an ingestible sensor that allows its location to be monitored as it moves through the digestive tract and could help doctors diagnose gastrointestinal motility disorders more easily.

The tiny sensor detects a magnetic field created by an electromagnetic coil located outside the body.In the new study,the researchers showed that they could use the technology to track the sensor as it moved through the digestive tract of large animals.

The device could offer an alternative to more invasive procedures,such as endoscopy,that are presently being used to diagnose GI motility disorders.

Image:The sensor sends its Iocation as it moves through the GI tract to reveal where slowdowns in digestion may occur(Photo courtesy of MIT)