Ingestible pill with osmotic engine explores unknown microbiome

Annotated three-dimensional schematic of the overall design of the ingestible pill, with the top half representing the upper chamber where environmental samples are collected and the bottom half housing the osmotic engine. Credit: Advanced Intelligent Systems

By Stephen Riffle October 28, 2019

Exploring the microbial ecosystem that spans the human digestive tract can, at times, feel similar to searching for life on Mars. Unlike the microbiota that populate the lower digestive tract, the inhabitants present in the small intestine are shrouded in mystery, existing just beyond the reach of modern technology. However, equipped with a three-dimensional (3D) printer, an osmotic engine, and a semipermeable membrane, Hojatollah Nejad and Sameer Sonkusale—engineers at Tufts University—have built an ingestible pill that may help to characterize the biogeographical layout along the intestine.

Read the full write-up on MRS Bulletin.

You can find the research in Advanced Intelligent Systems.