News Health & Medicine

This robotic pill clears mucus from the gut to deliver meds

RoboCap administers medicine to the intestines and makes its way out of the body

a robotic pill-like device sits on pig intestine

This robotic pill, shown resting on pig intestine, can sweep away mucus in the gut and leave behind drugs to be absorbed by the body.

S. Srinivasan and Matthew Pickett

By Meghan Rosen

A mucus-wicking robotic pill may offer a new way to deliver meds.

The multivitamin-sized device houses a motor and a cargo hold for drugs, including ones that are typically given via injections or intravenously, such as insulin and some antibiotics.