Swallowable Self-Inflating Capsule Tackles Obesity

Researchers have developed a self-inflating weight management capsule that could be used to treat obese patients. The prototype capsule, called the EndoPil, contains a balloon that can be self-inflated with a handheld magnet once it is in the stomach, thus inducing a sense of fullness. Its magnetically activated inflation mechanism causes a reaction between a harmless acid and a salt stored in the capsule, which produces carbon dioxide to fill up the balloon. The concept behind the capsule is for it to be ingested orally.