The Hot New Pill

THE EAGLES, Jaguars and Vikings are guarding against the heat with a temperature-monitoring device developed for astronauts. The CorTemp Temperature Pill is a tasteless silicone-covered capsule containing a battery and heat-sensing crystal. Before practice a player swallows the $30 pill--it's a bit larger than a multivitamin--and within an hour a reading can be made on a handheld device placed near his body. If his temperature gets dangerously high, say about 102�, he comes off the field to cool down. "Some worry there's a GPS in there that lets us see where they are at night," says Jaguars trainer Mike Ryan. And Vikings tackle Pat Williams's first thought was, "I'm not swallowing no pill with no device in it." But most are pleased to pop the pill. Says Jags tight end Todd Yoder, "It's really hot down here. You want all the protection you can get."

-- Sarah Thurmond

[This article contains a complex diagram. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]

Inner Epoxy Shell

Outer Silicone Coat

Temperature Sensing Crystal

Communication Coils

Battery

Printed Circuits and Electronic Components on Ceramic Substrates