We've all been there before: You know you've gotta go, but you just can't seem to make it over the edge. Soon, instead of turning to laxatives for relief, a tiny, swallowable engine may be all you need to whip your colon back into shape. Yep, this vibrating pill wants to make you poop.
The novel little capsule comes from a team of researchers at the Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. Headed by gastroenterologist Yishai Ron, the group found that setting the pill to start vibrating six to eight hours after consumption nearly doubled the weekly bowel movements participants, who suffered from chronic constipation, just from taking the pill twice a week.
The really great thing about this little colon coach, though, is its relative lack of side effects. Laxatives—in addition to moving things along—come with a host of unpleasant side effects. Here, the capsule's vibrations causes you intestine to contract, which then helps send your stool on its merry way. No real stomach pain, and no—er, unexpected drop-offs.
There's no word yet on when we might be able to cure our poop troubles with these itty bitty over-the-counter vibrations. The real unanswered question? What happens once that tiny motor comes out the other end. [Vibrant via Damn Geeky]