Appearing Soon on the Medical Device Menu: Edible Batteries

No one would intentionally swallow a medical device powered by conventional but potentially toxic batteries. How about one powered by melanin from pigments found in cuttlefish ink? Biodegradable batteries with this component are under development at Carnegie Mellon University, PA, to support ingestible monitors and other devices that dissolve after use. Others are also advancing ingestible electronics, including a biogalvanic cell for personal health monitoring from Proteus Digital Health of California, and biodegradable metal batteries from the University of Illinois. Technology Review notes that before such products are within reach, researchers must improve prototypes to boost power storage and production capacities.

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