Batteries that safely break down in the GI tract could improve ingestible devices

September 21, 2026
8:27 pm

Using materials safe for human consumption, MIT researchers have created tiny batteries that could be used to power ingestible electronic devices. Such batteries could make the devices safer for patients and minimize the environmental impact of the batteries after they are excreted.

In a new study, the researchers showed that the batteries, which generate 1.84 volts, could power two different types of devices: an RFID tag that can transmit from the stomach and a capsule that produces a small electrical current that stimulates production of ghrelin, the hunger hormone.

This type of battery, which contains electrodes made from magnesium and molybdenum trioxide, could also be deployed in other ingestible devices for sensing or therapeutic applications, the researchers say.

Batteries that safely break down in the GI tract could improve ingestible devices

Using materials safe for human consumption, MIT researchers have created tiny batteries that could be used to power ingestible electronic devices. Such batteries could make the devices safer for patients and minimize the environmental impact of the batteries after they are excreted.

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