Companies are using wireless technology, the same mechanism by which you use a cell phone or the Internet, to develop devices that monitor whether you took your pills as the doctor ordered, beaming information back to you, your doctor or a designated family member. In some cases, this requires swallowing a microchip about as thin as a few human hairs. The concept may sound invasive, but it has the potential to save as much as $290 billion annually in increased medical costs...
...Here's how it works: The patient swallows a pill that contains both medicine and an ultra-tiny sensor chip. This sensor is made of food and vitamin materials, in very small, safe quantities, said Proteus CEO Andrew Thompson.
These materials get activated by the patient's stomach acid, essentially making the human body a battery, he said...
