Medtronic is using microelectronics and chip manufacturing to create pacemakers so small that they could be injected.

Medtronic’s new prototype is smaller than a tic tac and could be installed in the body via a catheter, avoiding invasive surgery. Such a small device would also be a more efficient and safer pacemaker than the larger models in use today. It could be on the market in five years.

The components include circuit board, oscillator to generate current, capacitor to store and rapidly dispense charge, memory to store data, and telemetry system to wirelessly transfer that data.