Vibrating pill tricks you into feeling full

A team of Harvard and MIT researchers created a vibrating pill that mimics the feeling of a full stomach. It stimulates the nerve endings in that organ, tricking your brain into thinking that you’ve eaten enough. As a result, it could become a new way to lose weight after it finishes human test trials.

We’ve improved our diet and exercise with numerous fitness equipment and health supplements. However, some are too expensive, and others may trigger allergies and other health conditions. The vibrating pill could become the option you need for a safe and effective way to fit into your pants.

This article will explain how the vibrating pill could work in the human body. Later, I will discuss similar healthcare innovations.

How does the vibrating pill work?

MIT and Harvard researchers created a small capsule that contains a motor and a battery. It contains a gel plug that dissolves in stomach fluid to activate the motor. 

Then, the motor will spin inside the gut for 38 minutes, the average time food stays there. The researchers tested it on pigs with weights and stomachs similar to humans.

They discovered the pill stimulated the vagus nerve that links the stomach to the brain. Moreover, it alters insulin and ghrelin levels, the hormones related to hunger and satiety.

The pigs that received the vibrating capsule ate roughly 40% less than the ones that did not. The pill did not harm or discomfort these animals, and they did not have any signs of diarrhea, inflammation, or vomiting. 

The researchers discovered animals excreted the vibrating pill after four days. Consequently, we might use it as a temporary appetite suppressant without surgery or implementation.

However, the pill is not ready for human consumption. Researchers must address many challenges before the public can use it as a safe obesity treatment.

Interesting Engineering shared opinions from experts regarding this experiment. Tom Hildebrandt, an Icahn School of Medicine clinical psychologist, says he’s “hopeful but cynical” about it.

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Hildebrandt says we already use similar capsules to diagnose diseases, so it could likely be “low risk.” However, we don’t know how a vibrating pill in a human’s stomach will feel.

“A pig can’t tell you how uncomfortable it is,” he says. Moreover, obese patients’ stomach nerve endings are less sensitive to stretching. That means we’re unsure whether the capsule would still be effective for them.

Allan Geliebter, a Mount Sinai psychologist, believes its biggest flaw is the capsule size. It’s larger than patients’ biggest ones today, but they must take at least two daily. 

Other medical breakthroughs

University of Carolina researchers created a new medical gadget similar to the vibrating pill. They made a medical AI that doctors could remotely maneuver inside the human body.

“Commercial medical robots sold today are typically teleoperated, meaning a human is always directly controlling every motion,” said computer science professor Ron Alterovitz.

“By leveraging the power of robotics and AI, we developed a robot capable of autonomously steering needles to targets in living tissue with unprecedented accuracy and safety.”

Needles are essential for directed drug delivery, localized radiation cancer treatment, and biopsies. They are minimally invasive, reducing patient pain and recovery time.

AI makes the robotic needle more accurate than most humans, ensuring the metal doesn’t puncture vital body parts. The best part about this technology is its creators tested it on arguably the most challenging human organ for surgeons: the lungs.

Our air pumps consist of a tightly-compacted mesh of air veins and sacs called bronchi and alveoli, respectively. Moreover, the organ constantly expands and contracts, changing the position of these minuscule parts constantly.

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Driving a needle through will likely punch a hole into one of those air vessels. Consequently, the researchers created 3D lung models using a human subject’s thoracic or chest cavity.

Then, they used this simulation to train their AI software. Eventually, it learned how to travel from one point to another in the organ automatically without damaging important structures.

“It’s akin to a self-driving car, but it navigates through lung tissue, avoiding obstacles like significant blood vessels as it travels to its destination.” The UNC Chapel Hill website said the team is improving the robotic needle so it’s ready for clinical use.

Conclusion

Researchers from Harvard and MIT created a vibrating pill that simulates the feeling of a full stomach. They observed it reduced pigs’ appetites without harming them. 

Someday, this mechanical capsule could become a new way to help people stay in shape. However, scientists admit they need more research and development before it’s ready for the market.

Learn more about the vibrating pill by reading its Science Advances webpage. Also, check out the latest digital tips and trends of Inquirer Tech.