MIT Researchers Develop Ingestible Monitor to Track Heart and Respiratory Rates

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an ingestible vital sign monitor that tracks heart and respiratory rates in real time.

The sensor calculates heart and breathing rates from the sound waves produced by the beating of the heart and the inhalation and exhalation of the lungs.

Albert Swiston, an author of a paper about the device that appeared in PLOS One, describes the monitor as “an extremely tiny stethoscope that you can swallow.”

The device may be useful for monitoring soldiers in battle, performing long-term evaluation of people with chronic illnesses and assessing trauma patients. It also may help improve the training of high-performance athletes, according to the researchers. — Michael Cipriano