Overview

• NYU Tandon and NYU Abu Dhabi researchers report the device, called ICOPS, in Advanced Materials Technologies as the first noninvasive platform for wireless optical stimulation of the gastrointestinal tract in animals.
• The capsule is battery‑free and powered by magnetic induction from an external transmitter, enabling a rodent‑scale form factor fabricated entirely via in‑house 3D printing.
• In tests with freely moving rodents, ICOPS wirelessly activated targeted gut neurons and then passed naturally through the digestive system over one to two days.
• The approach relies on optogenetics, requiring prior transfection to make specific enteric neurons light‑sensitive before the swallowed pill can activate them.
• Researchers say the platform could map gut neural circuits and inform treatments for conditions such as gastroparesis, metabolic disease, and eating disorders, though human translation will require significant work over many years.