Straight out of a 70s sci-fi film, PillCam has long existed as a means to image your insides—but only now has the FDA approved the device for use inside your colon.


During an eight-hour trip through your gut, the pill-shaped camera transmits images to a device on your belt. The images aren't as good as a traditional colonoscopy, but many individuals struggle to undergo that procedure—which makes the device incredibly useful.


During the last nine years or so, PillCam has been approved and used in 80 other countries. Now, the FDA has granted approval for use in the US, too. It should allow up to 750,000 people who can't undergo a standard colonoscopy the chance to be diagnosed for cancer or polyps early. [Boston Globe via Motherboard via Engadget]