Three-dimensional guts

Doctors could get a detailed three-dimensional view of the inside of a patient’s gut without surgery. Given Imaging, a diagnostics company based in Yoqne’am, Israel, has patented a pill-like probe that carries a tiny video camera that the patient swallows (EP 1326432). The camera is ringed by three LEDs, each emitting a different wavelength of light. When the camera reaches an internal site of interest, it takes four images: one lit by all three LEDs together and three more lit by each LED in turn. Because each image is lit from a different angle, it has different shadows. These throw details into relief, allowing the images…