One of the first experiments Iddan recalls was using a store-bought chicken to test and understand what power and frequency required for transmission from the GI tract. They learned that with proper tuning of the frequency, microwatt level of power was needed to transmit clear video images, which was very encouraging.

A big step forward was done a year later, in 1993, when a new-generation CCD imager was developed and reported on [1], requiring much less energy than the old ones. Another breakthrough, though conceptual, was to separate the device into 3 parts: an imager + transmitter, recorder, and a workstation, a solution that will enable the physician to interpret the results independently from the workstation, without constant real-time viewing. A multiple antenna array system was added to guarantee proper reception and was the basis of the later-on-incorporated localization system. In 1995, Iddan presented his idea to Gavriel Meron, at the time the CEO of Applitec Ltd., a company developing small cameras for fiberscopes. In 1997, a new start-up company headed by Meron and Iddan (Given Imaging ) was initiated. By that time, they were aware of the development of the complementary metal oxide semiconductor imaging (CMOS camera) that allowed good-quality images with substantially less energy than the CCD , crucial for the development of a capsule endoscope.

Practically at the same time, as early as 1981, another group of researchers led by a gastroenterologist, Paul Swain, and his colleagues were working on laser devices and radio frequency to treat bleeding in the GI tract. Later on, they developed a wireless pH capsule which was sewn to the stomach wall and started to use that technology. In the early 1990s, they started to explore wireless technology for endoscopy and acquired tiny video cameras and transmitters from various sources including security cameras and sport video equipment firms.