Necklace helps keep track of pills

Atlanta -- U.S. researchers have created a sensor necklace that someday may help people remember the last time they took their pills.

The MagneTrace records the exact time and date when specially designed pills are swallowed and lets the user know if any doses are missed, Maysam Ghovanloo of the Georgia Institute of Technology said Wednesday in a news release.

The necklace contains an array of magnetic sensors that can detect when pills containing a tiny magnet passes through a person's esophagus. The sensors also can be incorporated into a patch attached to the chest.

"Forgetfulness is a huge problem, especially among the elderly, but so is taking the medication at the wrong time, stopping too early or taking the wrong dose," Ghovanloo said. "Studies show that drug noncompliance costs the country billions of dollars each year as a result of re-hospitalization, complications, disease progression and even death."

The research was published in the IEEE Sensors Journal.

Copyright 2008 by United Press International.