In the not so distant future, patients may come home from the doctor with an "iPill" to go with their iPods and iPhones. The new pill, developed by the Dutch group Philips, is an intelligent pill. Using the microprocessor, battery, wireless radio, pump and drug reservoir contained inside, the pill can determine when it is in the correct portion of the digestive tract to release its medication. In delivering the medication to the right place, a lower dose will be effective and thus side effects can be lowered. 

The iPill is currently just a prototype, due to be announced at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists later this month. However, Philips says it is ready for serial manufacturing.

To learn more about the iPill:
- read this Reuters piece