Paper Battery Prototype Could Power Devices Inside the Body for Days
The prototype powered an ingestible tag and a stomach-stimulating capsule, and one battery worked for at least three days in pig trials.
- MIT researchers reported Monday in Nature Chemical Engineering that they successfully tested a biodegradable paper battery in pigs, powering ingestible medical devices that dissolve safely in the gastrointestinal tract.
- Conventional batteries pose risks like toxic leakage or chemical burns if they fail inside the body. MIT mechanical engineer Giovanni Traverso developed a non-toxic alternative using magnesium, molybdenum, and cellulose materials designed to be absorbed safely.
- Testing in pigs, the battery powered a wireless RFID tag and stomach-stimulating capsule for up to three days. Twenty minutes of gastric stimulation increased hunger-related hormone ghrelin by about 36% without visible tissue damage.
- Materials scientist John Rogers at Northwestern University noted the safety advantage: "Making every part of the device bioresorbable could eliminate the risk of a leftover component becoming lodged in the gastrointestinal tract." Current prototypes still include non-bioresorbable circuit boards.
- Traverso identified the "biggest remaining challenge" as controlling the battery's working lifetime and making its breakdown predictable. The team is standardizing manufacturing and adjusting wax coatings so batteries function for specific periods, with clinical trials expected in about two years.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Scientists made a paper battery you can swallow to power internal...
A paper-based, ingestible battery powered medical devices inside pigs for up to three days before gradually breaking down, a new study reported. Scientists built a swallowable paper battery that can power medical devices inside the body and then gradually break down after its job is done. So far, the battery has been tested only in pigs, in which it powered devices for up to three days. If proven safe and effective in people, the battery could s…
A “paper battery” was released that decomposes after a certain period of time after supplying power to the medical device from the body. In experiments on pigs, it operated for up to 3 days and supplied power to wireless communication devices and gastrointestinal electrical stimulation devices. Since there is no need to remove the battery separately after use, there is an expectation that it can be used to check whether medicine is being taken o…
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Joo-young = A 'paper battery' has been developed that supplies power inside the body for a certain period after being swallowed like medicine and then gradually decomposes. This battery...
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