MagneTrace Sensor Necklace monitors what pills you take and when

Interesting new technology here...wear a necklace or a patch and the information is sent to a cell phone....a Windows Mobile smartphone.....then the information can be sent to family members or physicians over the web...looks like another potential partner for use with the HealthVault...and may have some potential for use with clinical trials....BD

In a bid to aid the elderly and forgetful patients, researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology's School of Electrical and Computer Engineering have invented a technology that monitors what pills you take and when. Their invention is called MagneTrace, and it requires you to place small amounts of "passable" magnets inside pills. You team it up with either a special necklace or a skin patch, which have sensors that can detect when the medicine goes down your throat, and records the exact time and date. The information can be sent to a cell phone, and then automatically transmitted to the doctor or some other caregiver. Roll over to understand the full concept.

The date and time the user swallowed the pill can be recorded on a handheld wireless device, such as a smartphone, carried on the user's body. The information can then be sent to the patient's doctor, caregiver or family member over the Internet. The device can notify both the patient and the patient's doctor if the prescribed dosage is not taken at the proper time. One device that actually monitors ingestion uses an optical sensor to detect a fluorescent dye incorporated in the medication as it enters the bloodstream. This technology provides a convenient, yet low cost method to help individuals adhere with their prescribed medication regimens and help researchers and pharmaceutical companies conduct more accurate clinical trials on new drugs.