Tattletale Pill
From: NASA Tech Briefs Insider - 05/27/2010

University of Florida engineers have developed a prototype of a "tattletale
pill" by adding a tiny microchip and digestible antenna to a standard pill
capsule. The prototype opens up the possibility that mass-produced pills will
someday be equipped to inform doctors and loved ones that patients have
ingested their medication. 

The technology could prove useful in clinical trails, which often require
visual confirmation of participants taking pills - an extremely expensive
proposition if hundreds or thousands of people are participating. A pill that
could confirm that someone has taken the medication would help lower expenses
and facilitate drug experiments. 

The pill is a standard white capsule coated with a label embossed with
silvery lines that comprise the antenna, which is printed using ink made of
nontoxic, conductive silver nanoparticles. The pill also contains a tiny
microchip that is about the size of a period. When a patient takes the pill,
it communicates with the second main element of the system: a small
electronic device carried or worn by the patient - for now, a standalone
device, but in the future, perhaps a watch or cell phone. The device signals
to a cell phone or laptop that the pill has been ingested, informing doctors
and/or family members. 

Read the entire article at:
http://news.ufl.edu/2010/03/31/antenna-pill-2/

Links:
Rizwan Bashirullah
http://www.ece.ufl.edu/people/faculty/bashirullah.html

Multimedia: Rx for health: Engineers design pill that signals it has been
  swallowed (photos and videos) 
http://news.ufl.edu/2010/03/31/multimedia-rx-for-health-engineers-design-pill-that-signals-it-has-been-swallowed/

Antenna Pill (video)
http://news.ufl.edu/2010/03/31/antenna-pill/