Implantable Temperature-Sensing Microchip

PositiveID, a company out of Delray Beach, Florida, claims to have completed development of an implantable temperature-sensing microchip. The chip measures internal body temperature and uses RFID technology to communicate with an external reader. Somehow, the company thinks continuously monitoring body temperature will provide an early warning of onset of an illness. We don’t think many patients would appreciate implanting a chip just for this cause, but it is a nice proof of concept. It might prove useful in a few select patient groups with very weak immune systems, where it is important to detect infections in their earliest stages. However, the biggest potential lays in the sensors that PositiveID is still working on as part of their Wireless Body program: currently they are working on a glucose-sensing sensor called GlucoChip, which has huge potential for noninvasive glucose measurements for diabetics. We remain a bit skeptical, because we have yet to see the breath glucose meter, but we’ll be following on any developments. Regarding the temperature-sensing chip, although the company has finished development, there is no word on regulatory approval or availability yet.
Press release: PositiveID Corporation Completes Development of Temperature-Sensing Microchip…