Tiny 'fitbits' to keep tabs on the body from within

A dust-sized wireless sensor that makes it possible to wirelessly monitor neural activity in real time when implanted inside the body, is shown on a finger in this handout photo. UC Berkeley/Handout via Reuters

Scientists are developing dust-sized wireless sensors implanted inside the body to track neural activity in real-time, offering a potential new way to monitor or treat a range of conditions including epilepsy and control next-generation prosthetics.

The tiny devices have been demonstrated successfully in rats, and could be tested in people within two years, the researchers said.