超長有效16年 比爾·蓋茨力挺皮下植入式避孕芯片範例

Bill Gates changed the way we think about home computers in the 90s. He changed the way we think about billionaires in the decade that followed. Now he’s looking to change the way the think about birth control before the end of this decade.

上世紀90年代，比爾·蓋茨開啓了家庭電腦的革命風潮。之後的十年，他成爲我們眼中不一樣的億萬富豪。現在，新的十年即將過半，蓋茨又有了新計劃，他正準備倡導一場避孕方式的革命。

Gates is backing a technology that could store 16 years worth of birth control medication on a small chip implanted under a woman’s skin. The device, which could be available as soon as 2018, is under development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. When activated, the chip puts out 30 milligrams of the hormone levonorgestrel daily. It can be turned on and off without a trip to a doctor.

蓋茨力挺的避孕技術是在女性皮下植入一個小芯片，裏面儲存的避孕藥可維持16年之久。這款設備現在正由麻省理工學院（the Massachusetts Institute of Technology）實驗室負責開發改進，計劃2018年投放市場。如果激活芯片，它每天可以釋放30毫克的荷爾蒙左旋諾孕酮。使用者根本用不着勞神去醫院，自己就可以控制設備的開關。

The device is 20 x 20 x 7 millimeters. It operates by temporarily melting a seal using an electric current, allowing that days medication to be dispersed.

這個設備的長、寬、高分別爲20 x 20 x 7毫米。它的運行原理是利用一股電流暫時融化封口，封口開啓後，芯片可以釋放每日的避孕藥劑。

Gates challenged MIT scientists to work on this project just two years ago during visit to the university’s labs.

兩年前，蓋茨蒞臨麻省理工學院實驗室的時候，向那裏的科學家們提出了這項頗有挑戰性的項目。