Researchers at MT created a high-tech pill that starts to vibrate(震动) once it makes contact with liquid in the user's stomach and make him or her feel full. The pill was reportedly thought up by Shriya Srinivasan, currently an assistant professor of bioengineering at Harvard University.
VIBES, short for Vibrating Ingestible BioElectronic Stimulator，was only recently made public in a study published in the Science Journal, but it is already being announced by the media as the future of weight loss. Although it has yet to be tested on humans, trials on pigs have achieved very hopeful results. After about 30 minutes of VIBES activity, pigs consumed on average almost 40 percent less food in the next half hour than they did without the smart pill. Apparently, the revolutionary device works by activating stretch receptors in the stomach, modeling the presence of food. This in turn signals the hypothalamus(下丘脑) to increase the levels of hormones that make us feel full. The vibrating stimulator, which is about the size of a vitamin pill, is powered by an encased battery and activated either by the gastric fluid(胃液) breaking down a coat around the pill, or by an incorporated timer. After producing the desired effect, the pill exits the body with other solid waste.
The good news is that it is expected to have a cost in the cents to one dollar range, and researchers say that it may eventually be possible to implant the stimulator and thus remove the need for people to constantly swallow it.
"Our study demonstrates the effectiveness of a low-cost, non-operative intervention to reduce food intake and calorie consumption. The device functions effectively in the stomach and leading to fullness," said Giovanni Traverso, co-author of the study. "The device has the potential to revolutionize options for weight loss treatment. However, future studies will need to explore the physiological effects of the device before it's available for patients."
Researchers are now exploring ways to scale up the producing of VIBES capsules which could enable clinical trials in humans.
