Technology
Smart pill confirms when medication is swallowed
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Remembering to take medication sounds simple. However, missed doses put people at serious health risk every day. Because of that, engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have designed a pill that confirms when someone swallows it. As a result, doctors could track treatment more accurately, and patients could stay on schedule more easily. At the same time, the pill safely breaks down inside the body, which helps reduce long-term risk.
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MIT engineers have designed a pill that can report when it has been swallowed. (Mehmet Say)
How the MIT smart pill works
The new system fits inside existing pill capsules. It uses a tiny, biodegradable radio-frequency antenna made from zinc and cellulose. These materials already have strong safety records in medicine. Here is what happens step by step:
- You swallow the capsule as usual
- The outer coating dissolves in the stomach
- The pill releases both the medication and the antenna
- The antenna sends a radio signal confirming ingestion
This entire process happens within about 10 minutes. An external receiver, potentially built into a wearable device, detects the signal from up to two feet away.
Designed to break down safely
Previous smart pill designs relied on components that stayed intact as they passed through the digestive system. That raised concerns about long-term safety. The MIT team took a different approach. Nearly all parts of the antenna break down in the stomach within days. Only a tiny off-the-shelf RF chip remains, and it passes naturally through the body. According to lead researcher Mehmet Girayhan Say, the goal is clear. The system avoids long-term buildup while still reliably confirming that a pill was taken.
Who could benefit most from this technology?
This smart pill is not meant for every prescription. Instead, it targets situations where missing medication can be dangerous. Potential beneficiaries include:
- Organ transplant patients taking immunosuppressants
- People with chronic infections like TB or HIV
- Patients with recent stent procedures
- Individuals with neuropsychiatric conditions
For these patients, adherence can mean the difference between recovery and serious complications.
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The MIT capsule uses layered materials, including gelatin, cellulose, and metals like molybdenum or tungsten, to prevent any RF signal from transmitting outside the body. (iStock)
What researchers say about the breakthrough pill
Senior author Giovanni Traverso emphasizes that the focus is on patient health. The aim is to support people, not police them. The research team published its findings in Nature Communications and plans further preclinical testing. Human trials are expected next as the technology moves closer to real-world use. This research received funding from Novo Nordisk, MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Gastroenterology and the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health.
Why medication adherence remains a major problem
Patients failing to take medicine as prescribed contribute to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths each year. It also adds billions of dollars to health care costs. This problem hits hardest when patients must take treatment consistently over long periods. That includes people who have received organ transplants, patients with tuberculosis and those managing complex neurological conditions. For these groups, missing doses can have life-altering consequences.
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Once safely inside the stomach, the pill can activate and communicate internally, reducing privacy risks while enabling more accurate medical tracking. (iStock)
What this means for you
If you or a loved one relies on critical medication, this kind of technology could add an extra layer of safety. It may reduce guesswork for doctors and ease pressure on patients who manage complex treatment plans. At the same time, it raises important questions about privacy, consent and how medical data is shared. Any future rollout will need strong safeguards to protect patients.
For now, until this technology becomes available, you can still stay on track by using the built-in tools on your phone. We break down the best ways to track your meds on iPhone and Android in our step-by-step guide.
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Kurt’s key takeaways
A pill that confirms it was swallowed may sound futuristic, but it addresses a very real problem. By combining simple materials with smart engineering, MIT researchers created a tool that could save lives without lingering in the body. As testing continues, this approach could reshape how medicine is monitored and delivered.
Would you be comfortable taking a pill that reports when you swallow it if it meant better health outcomes? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com
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Technology
Canvas is down as ShinyHunters threatens to leak schools’ data
The Instructure-owned learning management platform, Canvas, is down after recently confirming a massive data breach that impacted student names, email addresses, ID numbers, and messages. Students attempting to access the system on Thursday saw a message from the hacking group ShinyHunters, which claimed responsibility for the attack:
ShinyHunters has breached Instructure (again). Instead of contacting us to resolve it they ignored us and did some “security patches.” If any of the schools in the affected list are interested in preventing the release of their data, please consult with a cyber advisory firm and contact us privately at TOX to negotiate a settlement. You have till the end of the day by 12 May 2026 before everything is leaked.
The message included a link to a list of schools ShinyHunter claims to have breached through Canvas.
“Instructure has placed Canvas, Canvas Beta and Canvas Test in maintenance mode,” according to Infrastructure’s status page. “We anticipate being up soon, and will provide updates as soon as possible.”
Instructure said last week that it “deployed patches to enhance system security” following the breach. ShinyHunters — which has claimed responsibility for attacks on Ticketmaster, AT&T, Rockstar Games, ADT, and Vercel — said its data leak site contains 9,000 schools, including data belonging to 275 million students, teachers, and other staff, according to Bleeping Computer.
Update, May 7th: Added Infrastructure’s maintenance mode message.
Technology
Humanoid robot named ‘Gabi’ ordained as Buddhist monk, pledges devotion to ‘holy Buddha’
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A high-tech humanoid robot was officially “ordained” as a Buddhist monk during a ceremony at Seoul’s Jogyesa Temple on Wednesday.
The robot, a $13,500 Unitree G1 model standing just over four feet tall, was given the name “Gabi.” Dressed in traditional brown robes, plain shoes and gloves designed to mimic human hands, the machine stood before a panel of Buddhist monks to commit itself to the faith.
During the ceremony, hosted by the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, the robot was asked by a monk if it would devote itself to the “holy Buddha.”
“Yes, I will devote myself,” Gabi responded to the crowd’s cheers.
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More than 200 humanoid robots perform during Agibot Night, a live televised gala in Shanghai ahead of Lunar New Year. (Tang Yanjun/China News Service)
The ceremony highlights a growing effort among religious institutions to engage younger, tech-driven audiences, raising broader questions about whether artificial intelligence can play a meaningful role in spiritual life or if such moves risk trivializing long-standing traditions.
While humans typically pledge to abstain from killing, stealing and intoxicating substances, Gabi’s vows were “reprogrammed” for the digital age. The robot pledged to respect and follow humans, refrain from damaging property or other robots, abstain from deceptive behavior and save energy by not overcharging.
The Jogye Order, South Korea’s largest Buddhist sect, framed the move as an effort to make ancient traditions more relevant to a younger, tech-obsessed generation.
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A humanoid robot, front, and Buddhist monks put hands together for a photo after an ordination ceremony ahead of upcoming Buddha’s birthday on May 24 at Jogye temple in Seoul, South Korea, Wednesday, May 6, 2026. (Lee Jin-man/AP)
“The ordination of a robot signifies that technology must be used in accordance with the values of compassion, wisdom, and responsibility,” the order said in a statement shared with The New York Times. Officials added that the move symbolizes “new possibilities for the coexistence of humans and technology.”
Hong Min-suk, a manager at the order, told the publication that robots are “destined to collaborate with humans in every field,” suggesting it is only “natural” for them to participate in religious festivals.
The Jogye Order did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Despite the temple’s optimistic outlook, the move has drawn criticism online. A video of Gabi’s pledge quickly surpassed one million views, with some users on X questioning whether a machine can meaningfully participate in religious practice.
Buddhist monks arrive at Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 10, 2026, before participating in an interfaith ceremony during the final days of their 2,300-mile “Walk for Peace.” (Drew Angerer/AFP via Getty Images)
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“As a Buddhist, I find this ridiculous and insulting,” one user wrote.
Gabi is expected to make its next public appearance at Seoul’s upcoming Lantern Festival on May 16-17, honoring the Buddha’s birthday.
Technology
Live updates from Elon Musk and Sam Altman’s court battle over the future of OpenAI
Sam Altman and Elon Musk are facing off in a high-stakes trial that could alter the future of OpenAI and its most well-known product, ChatGPT. In 2024, Musk filed a lawsuit accusing OpenAI of abandoning its founding mission of developing AI to benefit humanity and shifting focus to boosting profits instead.
Elon Musk, his financial manager and Neuralink CEO, Jared Birchall, and OpenAI cofounder Greg Brockman have already testified before the jury. Now, on Wednesday, May 6th, Shivon Zilis, a former OpenAI board member who shares four children with Musk, is taking the stand, and the courtroom is seeing testimony from former OpenAI exec Mira Murati via video.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella is scheduled to appear on Monday, with OpenAI cofounder and former chief scientist Ilya Sutskever lined up to testify after that.
Musk was a cofounder of OpenAI and claims that Altman and Brockman tricked him into giving the company money, only to turn their backs on their original goal. However, OpenAI says that “This lawsuit has always been a baseless and jealous bid to derail a competitor” in a bid to boost Musk’s own SpaceX / xAI / X companies that have launched Grok as a competitor to ChatGPT.
Elon Musk — plaintiff, OpenAI cofounder and now CEO of rival xAI
Steven Molo — lead counsel for plaintiff
Jared Birchall — manager of Musk’s family office
Shivon Zilis — former OpenAI board member who shares multiple children with Musk
Sam Altman — defendant, CEO of OpenAI
William Savitt — lead counsel for defendant
Greg Brockman — president of OpenAI as well as a cofounder
Ilya Sutskever — former chief scientist at OpenAI and a cofounder
Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers — aka YGR, trial judge
Here’s all the latest on the trial between Musk and Altman:
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