Microchip Could Replace Pills

webhat writes "BBC News reports in an article that a microchip implanted in your body may be the end of swallowing pills. A microchip of a centimeter long was created with a sandwich coating of a drug (heparin) and a slow biodegrading polymer. As the polymer layer degrades the drug is released into the system."

Microchip?

[mumblestheclown]

Really? I always thought of a microchip as something with, well, ICs in it or something. From what I'm understanding from the (very very short) article, this works via simple physical chemistry - polymer layers erode over time thus 'time releasing' what's under the next layer. presumably there are different thickness polymer layers depending on how often the medication needs to be delivered.

Unless I'm really missing something here, I fail to see how this qualifies as a microchip in the sense that we commonly refer to it as.