VitalSense, by Mini Mitter company, is an “Integrated Physiological Monitoring System” to get data about core body temperature, heart rate and other vital signs.

A capsule containing temperature sensors has to be swallowed to transmit data telemetrically to a VitalSense Monitor, which can be worn in a waist pack or slipped into a pocket. The mean transit time for the capsules is 2.0 ±1.5 days.

Dermal temperatures are transmitted from waterproof patches. Transmission range is approximately 1 meter for the ingestible sensor and 2 meters for the patches.

VitalSense was developed at the request of the U.S. army to deliver real time temperature data of the soldiers.

It has already been tested by wildland firefighters in Montana to evaluate heat stress in high intensity work environments.

Canadian coaches used it to evaluate the physiological status of triathletes training for the 2004 summer Olympics and Nike is using VitalSense to test heat dissipation in clothing.

Since April, VitalSense has been incorporated into a number of on-going clinical studies.

Via Eurekalert.
Related: wi-fi in a pill, capsule crawling through intestines.