MIT designs ingestible ‘bacteria on a chip’ that can diagnose diseases

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)  have built an ingestible sensor equipped with genetically engineered bacteria that can diagnose bleeding in the stomach or other gastrointestinal problems.

The sensor has been successfully tested in pigs and converts the bacterial response into a wireless signal that can be read by a smartphone.

The 'bacteria on a chip' is a cylinder of about 1.5 inches length and requires about 13 micro watt of power.

The team of researchers have equipped the sensor with a 2.7-volt battery, which they estimate could power the device for around 1.5 months of continuous use.

Source: Official website of MIT