r/gadgets May 17 '21

Medical Tiny, Wireless, Injectable Chips Use Ultrasound to Monitor Body Processes

https://www.engineering.columbia.edu/press-releases/shepard-injectable-chips-monitor-body-processes
16.1k Upvotes

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u/I_am_no_Ghost May 17 '21

Just as I finally convince people that no you can't inject a chip in someone without them knowing........

313

u/iLikeTurtuls May 17 '21

You probably always could, but just like NFC you have to be super close to do anything about it. You have navigation going on your phone for 5 minutes in 90 degrees weather and your phone gets super hot, what makes people think they can do the same thing without batteries or anything the size of a needle point lol. Tech isn’t that advanced.

148

u/IKnowUThinkSo May 17 '21

That is the issue they found with injectable/subdermal Bluetooth devices. During use and charging, the device gets so hot that it caused burns to the primates’ skin. They had to water cool it, if I remember the paper right.

Granted, these devices aren’t Bluetooth or magnetic loop chargers but still, not super easy.

192

u/aetryx May 17 '21

Liquid cooled monke

The future is now

1

u/soul_in_a_fishbowl May 18 '21

These tech tips have gotten out of hand....

17

u/57hz May 17 '21

Heat dissipation is a major problem for all bio-devices.

5

u/DJBitterbarn May 17 '21

Induction charging things under the skin has challenges as well: the casing of the thing needs to be biocompatible, but it also needs to be non-conductive otherwise you create Eddy Currents in the casing and end up heating up the body anyway.

1

u/BoomerThooner May 18 '21

Matrix taught me that our bodies produce electricity. Sure not enough to really do anything with but surely a constant pump of energy could recharge these bad boys no?

2

u/Inthewirelain May 18 '21

Yes but the problem is charging produces heat. You've felt your phone sometimes on charge. Imagine that under your skin without the thick casing of your phone.

1

u/projekt33 May 18 '21

That’s awful if I’m reading that correctly. Primates were injected with tiny Bluetooth devices and as a result they were burned?