Ingestible pill for heart rate and core temperature measurement in cattle.

The livestock industry is an integral part of the United States economy. The continued production of quality beef requires new and improved methods for long term monitoring of animal health. Additional benefits can be realized from this class of technology, such as the ability to identify the presence of disease early and thereby prevent its spread. An important element of health assessment is the ability to monitor vital data such as heart rate and core body temperature. This paper presents preliminary results from the design of an ingestible pill that allows one to acquire heart rate (via a phonocardiograph) and core temperature in cattle. Packaging, circuitry, algorithms, and the wireless link are addressed.